Midnight Conversations
by M.C.E.Black
Summary: Roy Mustang is supposed to be dead. They had told her that three months ago. So, why is this man at her doorway claiming to be her beloved Colonel? ROYAI! Rated for adult themes and strong language in later chapters.
1. Gone

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own FMA or any of the related titles. If I did...I would so have first dibs on Roy Mustang! Muahaha! -hides from Riza's gun and other rabid fangirls-

**A/N:** Okay, so believe it or not, I got the idea for this while I was in the shower. Isn't it weird how you always think of things while you're in the shower? Anyways, this is an ubelievably short chapter, and is pretty sad for the most part. I'm not sure how far I'm going to go with it, it's just something I wanted to try. If you guys like it, I'll definitely keep up with it. Like it says in the summary, there will be some implied sex in later chapters, definitely nothing right now. Yeah, there might be some bad language eventually too. I dunno.

**Chapter 1:** Gone

_Dead!_

The word echoed through Riza Hawkeye's mind. The water that was flowing freely over her body could not deafen the sound of it.

_Colonel Mustang is dead!_

It had been nearly three months and yet those words remained burnt into her brain. Every morning, she'd wake up, believing she'd see him in his office, sitting behind his desk, smiling at her and greeting her with his usual-

"_Good morning, Hawkeye..."_

Roy's low voice replaced the distressed one of Lieutenant Ross in her head. When she heard it, she nearly lost control. Her knees buckled and she leaned on the wall for support.

Even after three months, it wasn't real to her. They'd never found a body. There was no burial, only a small memorial service. They meant nothing to her. Not until she saw his face again would she believe any of it.

But part of her never wanted to see his face. It wouldn't be the same. It would have lost it's warm glow and his dark eyes would be cold and unfeeling. He wouldn't be the same...

No, he wouldn't be Roy Mustang anymore. He would be some cold, unloving corpse.

Riza sobbed and slid down the wall of her shower. She sat on the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling her knees against her bare chest.

Even the cold water couldn't wash away her pain. Several times a week this would happen. It was becoming quite the routine.

First, she'd attempt to forget her past by taking a long shower. Then, she would hear Lieutenant Ross yelling to her, crying and hysterical.

_Dead! Colonel Mustang is dead!_

Shortly after, she would collapse to the floor in tears. It would take her several minutes to recover, but she certainly would. If she didn't feel like standing, she would force herself.

Riza wiped her face quickly and stood up. She turned off the water, but remained in the shower. Staring at the wall, she tried to clear her head, failing miserably.

Slowly, she grabbed her towel and began to dry off. She wiped away a spot on her mirror and didn't jump at the face that was staring back at her. It was not the young, fierce face of Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. It was the weary, grief-stricken face of Elizabeth.

Her eyes were bloodshot and there were enormous bags under them from her lack of sleep. Her blonde hair hung limply around her face and seemed to have lost it's life as well.

Riza turned away, disgusted with what she'd become. However, part of her didn't care. She had no one to impress anymore. The only man she'd ever loved was gone. It would take a miracle to change that.

Before she walked away, she caught sight of the tattoo on her back. It wasn't the tattoo that had caught her eye, but the burn under her left shoulder instead.

"_I-I can't..." Roy said quietly._

"_You must!"_

She remembered how concerned he had been. They had to destroy what was written on her back in the only way they knew how.

The pain had been excruciating. As she stood and thought about it, it felt like hot flames were coursing through her body.

She cried out and caught the edges of her sink before she hit the floor. Black Hayate came running, barking loudly. She sank down to his level and patted him weakly.

"I'm all right, Braha..." she told him. "I'm all right."

He whimpered and nuzzled the side of her leg. He was the only one she had left now. First Hughes, now Roy. She only hoped she'd be the next to go, so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

Regaining her strength, she walked back into her bedroom and slipped on her small nightgown. Not feeling tired, she wandered back into the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, she reached for the carton of milk. Suddenly, her mind flashed with scenes of Edward, quickly morphing to ones of Roy.

The carton of milk fell to the floor and burst open. Black Hayate began lapping it up. Riza kneeled down to clean it up with the towel that had been wrapped around her hair, tears streaming down her face.

"No, no, it's all right," she said, sniffling loudly. "Mummy's got it. Mummy'll clean it up."

Black Hayate didn't listen to her and licked up whatever she left on the floor. Throwing the carton away, Riza thought it was best for her to go to bed before she accidentally set something on fire.

_Fire..._

Riza groaned loudly. Everything she said or did reminded her of him. It was as if she simply could not get him out of her head.

She pulled the covers up to her chin and felt Black Hayate jump onto the bed by her feet.

"Black Hayate, down..." she mumbled.

Instead, he curled up and closed his eyes. Riza only wished it could be that easy. For nearly two hours, she remained awake, her mind teeming with memories she couldn't seem to erase.

Before long, she could have sworn she could see Roy lying next to her in bed. He didn't say anything, but he smiled at her, which was all that really mattered.

"Oh Roy," she whispered to the invisible stranger. "Why did you have to go and get yourself killed? Why can't you be here...with me?"

As if he were really answering her question, she could hear his voice in her head.

"_I will always be with you..."_

Riza's eyes relaxed as her imaginary man held her close. She could feel her breathing becoming steadier and her tears had stopped.

"I love you, Roy..." she muttered, half-asleep.

There was no answer this time. She almost wondered if she was alone again, but didn't dare to open her eyes and check. If she believed hard enough, she was certain that she could feel his breath on her neck. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, smirking lightly.

What she didn't know, was that Black Hayate had moved and was now curled up right beside her face.

**A/N:** Okay, that's the end of my short chapter. It's just kind of a beginning thing, to set the background of the story. Stuff will start to happen in the next chapter, I promise. Now, when I'm going to update is a good question. And the answer is...I don't know. I am quite busy with work, school and finishing CROSSFIRE (another Royai fic)! So, please be patient with me, but in the meantime: REVIEW! I want to hear if you're at least interested or intrigued by the summary or the first chapter.


	2. A Midnight Visitor

**DISCLAIMER:** -still hiding from Riza and the fangirls. Peeks head out from underneath her bed- I-I think it's safe to say that I don't own FMA or any of the related characters...not even Roy Mustang...(yet! Muahaha!)

**A/N:** Okay, so here is definitely a longer chapter. Yaay! Lol. I'm updating sooner than I had hoped, but I have some people who are interested, so I'm going to continue with it. (I definitely need more of a plot line though.) Schools starting up again very soon and I have some summer assignments I need to finish up, so it may be a while before I update again. This has more Riza angst in it, but moves on a little toward the end...not really...oh well...

Oh and I'm ordering a Roy Mustang bag tomorrow...so that may give me a little inspiration for me to actually write more of my fics. Let's hope so. (It better be worth it! -pauses- Wait...it's Roy. Of course it's worth it!)

**Chapter 2: A Midnight Visitor**

Riza awoke bright and early the next morning. She arrived at work at nearly seven o'clock; a feat she had not achieved in several weeks. As she walked down the hallways toward her office, she received several odd looks.

Standing outside their room, Ed and Al were talking to each other in strange hushed tones. Ed froze when he saw Riza walking toward them and Al turned around.

"Good Morning, First Lieutenant Hawkeye," he said politely. "You're here early."

"Good Morning, Alphonse," she replied, smiling lightly. "Good Morning, Edward."

They stared as she continued walking past them. They couldn't remember the last time she had smiled and frankly, it frightened them. Something was up.

"Is she feeling all right?" Ed asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Al answered.

Riza entered the office that once belonged to Roy Mustang. She usually dreaded entering it, but something about it made her feel at ease. It was where she felt closest to him, even if he wasn't there with her.

She spotted the large pile of paperwork on her desk and sighed. It seemed like she was accumulating the amount of work for two people and it was definitely taking it's toll on her. She had spent several sleepless nights, looking over stacks and stacks of reports, having no clue as to what she was actually doing.

Before she could start writing out another report, there was a sharp knock at the door. She ordered for the person to come in and she watched as Lieutenant Ross entered, carrying yet another stack of paperwork.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Lieutenant," she said. "But these need to be filled out by Friday; Führer's orders."

Riza nodded and Lieutenant Ross placed them on the corner of her desk. Instead of leaving, she stared at Riza curiously.

"Are you feeling okay, Lieutenant?" she asked.

Riza looked up at her. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

Lieutenant Ross couldn't seem to put her finger on it, but something was different about Riza that morning. Not only was she acting differently, but she looked rested and quite cheerful. "You just, don't seem yourself today, that's all..."

Riza shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ross stared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Perhaps it's nothing. Good day, Lieutenant."

Riza nodded shortly. "Good day."

The day went by quickly. She had only been interrupted a few times by the usuals. Havoc came in to check on her around noon and to see if there was something she'd like to eat. She always told him that she was fine and that she would get something if she needed it. Then, not too long after, Breda would come in, pretending to be looking for a book, but watching her out of the corner of his eye. One by one, each of them took turns keeping an eye on Riza. They were concerned for her wellbeing, especially after Roy's disappearance. They had noticed the drastic change in their comrade and wanted to make sure that everything was okay.

"No Havoc," she said as her door opened. "I'm not hungry right now."

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked, smirking, the stub of a cigarette miraculously remaining in place in the corner of his mouth.

She smiled at him. "Oh, I don't know..."

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" he asked, pausing by the door. "I mean, it's no problem. I can run out and get it and bring it back in like ten minutes. Less than that. Do you want to time me?"

"I'm fine," she told him.

Before he could leave, she spoke up again.

"Oh, and tell Breda that my bookshelf is off-limits today," she said, not looking at him. Her disposition had become serious and she was staring at a report on her desk. "I'd like it if there were no more distractions this afternoon."

He frowned and nodded. "Yes, ma'am..."

When the door closed, she let out a relieved sigh. She had read over the same report fifty times and none of it seemed to be sinking in. She pushed it away from her and looked around the room.

Slowly, things started to come back to her and the cheerful mood she had been in was squashed. Her eyes wandered over to Roy's empty desk and something in her longed to see him behind it once again. For a while, she stared at the door, hoping it would open. Unfortunately, it remained shut.

She wandered around the room, finding it extremely difficult to focus on her work. Standing by the window, she stared out at the grounds below. It was a beautiful sight. No wonder she had caught Roy staring out it so many times when he should have been working.

The phone rang loudly and her focus locked onto it. She didn't answer, but instead watched it intensely as it shook ever so slightly with each ring.

"_-Oh and Roy, find yourself a good wife!" Hughes' voice would be on the other end of the line. _

_Roy groaned loudly and slammed the phone back down onto the receiver. Riza walked by, chuckling to herself as the Colonel's face turned red._

"_It's not the phone's fault, sir..." she told him calmly._

"_Hughes..." Roy said quietly. "I swear sometimes I want to strangle him..."_

"_Resist the urge, sir..." Riza said, turning to him. "It wouldn't look good on your record."_

Riza laughed lightly as she remembered the phone conversations she would overhear with Roy and Hughes. They were the funniest pair.

Suddenly, reality hit her and she remembered that the phone was still ringing. There was no one else in the room, but her to answer it. She walked over to her desk and slowly, she reached out for the handle.

"Hello?" she asked tentatively.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye?" a gruff voice said on the other end.

"Yes," she said, trying to place the voice.

"This is Führer Bradley," the voice said, sounding as cheerful as it possibly could. She could tell that he was trying to cover up a more depressing topic. "How are you doing, Lieutenant?"

"I'm fine, sir," she answered hastily. Being on the phone with the Führer made her nervous. She couldn't be assertive with him as she could others. She would have to be careful what she said. Usually, she didn't have that problem, but lately, it was going increasingly more common. "What can I do for you?"

"I assume you received that paperwork I ordered to have sent to you," he said, dropping the cheerful tone and switching to professional mode.

"Yes, sir," she answered, pulling the nearest stack of papers in front of her. "I have them right here."

"Good," he replied. "Now, Hawkeye, it's been three months and we can't put it off much longer. I know it's going to be difficult, but we need you to fill out the report on Colonel Mustang's death."

She froze, nearly dropping the phone. How could he be asking _her_ to do something like this? Couldn't they have someone else do it? Someone else who wasn't as affected by it as much as she was? How dare he have the nerve to make her-

Then again, he was the Führer and could do whatever he damn well pleased. She frowned and ran her fingers across the top paper.

"How long do I have to fill it out, sir?" she asked, knowing it wasn't going to be an easy thing to do.

The other end went quiet. She could tell he was thinking and she awaited his answer, feeling as if ice had just slipped into her stomach. She was going to need a lot of strength to pull this off. Perhaps she could have one of the other officers do it.

"You have a week," he said finally. "We must file this as soon as possible, Hawkeye. A week is my maximum, but I would like it sooner if that's possible. I know you have a lot of work to do."

Ha! As if work were her only problem!

"Yes, sir..." she said quietly. "Thank you..."

She hung up and looked down at the report. She hadn't noticed it before, but it was certainly a deceased report. It was not something she was looking forward to.

With a shaking hand, she picked up her pen and put the tip to the paper.

_Name_.

_R..._

She began slowly, trying to control her hand. It wouldn't seem to stop shaking. The 'O' came next, though it seemed that several minutes had passed between each of the letters.

When she finally lifted her pen after a very scratchy looking 'G', she stared down at the words she'd written.

_Roy Mustang._

The name raced through her head over and over.

_Roy Mustang. Roy Mustang. Roy Mustang._

She tried to focus on the rest of the report, but his voice seemed to be attacking her brain. At one point, she covered her ears and scrunched up her eyes. The pen dropped to the floor.

Riza didn't look up again until she heard someone saying her name. Her head snapped up and she looked into the face of Lieutenant Ross. She looked fearful and was staring at Riza in horror.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"What?" Riza replied uneasily, unsure of what was going on.

"Did something happen?" Ross continued to peer into Riza's swollen eyes. "You've been crying. Lieutenant, are you sure everything's all right?"

Riza glanced around at her surroundings and then down at the paper in front of her. Ross looked down as well and noticed it. She pulled it away from Riza quickly, scanning the report.

"Oh, Lieutenant Hawkeye..." Ross said, frowning. "I'm sorry about all this. You don't have to do this right now. You're not feeling well. Why don't I have one of the others take over this for you?"

"No," Riza said, taking the paper back. "No. I have to do it."

She looked around frantically for her pen, finally bending over to pick it up off the floor. Lieutenant Ross continued to watch her as Riza read over the report and moved to continue writing. The pen had stopped a millimeter above the paper. Hesitantly, she looked up at Ross.

"Are you going to watch me?"

"Are you sure you don't want Havoc or one of the others to fill that out for you?" she asked. "I mean, they'd be more than willing to-"

"No, Ross..." Riza said firmly. "I need to do this. I need this. This will be my...my...my way of making it final."

"Your conclusion..." Ross said, nodding lightly. "I understand."

She turned toward the door, but stopped and glanced back at Riza, who was staring at the page, not really reading the words on it.

"If you need anything," she said. "Please, don't hesitate to call. Oh, and go home, Riza." she spoke the Lieutenant's name softly. "You need your rest."

Riza looked up at her. Slowly, she nodded and Ross disappeared. She thought for a moment about what she was going to do. Hastily, she shoved the report to the bottom of the pile and stood up. There was no way she was going to be able to stay there much longer.

xoxox

"No boy," she muttered, opening the door to her apartment. Black Hayate had jumped excitedly when she walked through the door.

Dragging herself into her room, Riza didn't even bother to take a shower or find something to eat. She shed her uniform and slipped into something comfortable, flopping down on her bed.

Black Hayate jumped up next to her and licked her face. She patted him and he curled up beside her. Her hands rubbed his ears and she watched as his little eyes closed.

"It's been a long day, Braha..." she said softly. "And yet, I can't seem to fall asleep." Her dog didn't do anything. Part of her thought he might have already fallen asleep. She sighed. "Perhaps I should go find someone. Get out there and find some nice guy, who can..."

Black Hayate lifted his head and stared at her. She stared back, knowing exactly what he was thinking. She laughed, though her gut was telling her to cry.

"I know, I know..." she muttered. "I'm only joking. I know there isn't anyone out there like him. And besides, with work and everything, I just wouldn't have the time..."

Black Hayate rested his head back on his paws as if to say: "That's what I thought..."

Riza blinked slowly, staring at the desk against her wall. Her hand continuously stroked the back of Black Hayate's neck. At this point, she was certain he was fast asleep, but that didn't stop her from talking to him.

"It wouldn't have mattered, you know..." she said pointedly. "Even if there was something between us, it was completely forbidden. I don't know why I even bothered for so long."

There was no response. She waited for him to do something, but nothing happened. She continued.

"But, I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone, do I?" she asked, looking down at her dog, praying he'd grow a voice and give her some helpful advice.

He twitched slightly in his sleep and she frowned at him. Suddenly, she rolled over and hugged her pillow, feeling strangely bitter.

"What do you know?" she spat. "You're just a dog..."

She knew it was pointless to be having a conversation with her dog, but he seemed to be the only one who would listen to her. The others at work only wanted her to say what they wanted to hear, which wasn't always the truth. Or, in other words, wasn't always something she was willing to admit.

It took her a while, but she eventually drifted off to sleep. She was sleeping quite soundly, until a loud commotion started in the middle of the night. Black Hayate jumped down from the bed and started barking loudly at the front door. Riza rolled over in bed, trying to ignore him.

"I've already finished those reports," she mumbled into her pillow. "No Havoc...don't play with that..."

Black Hayate continued to bark and Riza pulled the pillow over her head. Suddenly, she heard a loud knock at her door. Her tired face appeared from the blankets and she stared around the room sleepily. The clock on the wall read 1:43 AM.

Pulling the gun from her bedside table, she brought herself to her feet. She wrapped a small bathrobe around her and started toward the front door.

"Whoever it is better be a fast runner..." she murmured to herself, making sure the gun was loaded.

Even when Riza had appeared in the front hallway, Black Hayate didn't start barking. He knew something was up. People usually didn't show up in the middle of the night.

"I'm coming!" she said irritably.

She opened the door, holding the gun at her side. Before her stood a man. His clothes were dirty and it looked like he hadn't bathed in months. A thick, tangled beard covered most of his chin and his hair was unnaturally long and even more tangled than his beard. Long scratches and scars marked up his arms and parts of his face.

Black Hayate had stopped barking and the pair of them were staring at the man in the hallway. Riza took in his entire appearance, stopping suddenly to look at his eyes. There was no way she could deny it...

She knew those eyes...

"Lieutenant Hawkeye...?" the man asked, his voice rough and dry.

Riza's eyes widened in shock as if she had just seen a ghost. Tears building in her brown eyes, she resisted the urge to launch herself at the man before her.

She could only seem to find the strength to breathe one single word.

"Colonel?"

**A/N:** Yeah, I know. It's a mean cliffie. I tend to be really really REALLY mean with cliffhangers and then totally blow off updating, just to tick you guys off. Lol. Not really. If I don't update you'll know it's because I'm uuber busy...or just really out of inspiration. (That does tend to happen often.) Anyways, Please Review! (and don't hate me completely for this cliffie...okay? I'm really sorry about it.) Thanks a lot! (Oh and if you're bored while you're waiting for an update on this, please read CrossFire, my other FMA fic. It's pretty good...according to a bunch of people. I'm very proud of it!)


	3. Tears of Joy

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own FMA or any of the related titles.

**A/N:** Okay, I'm just trying to update all of my stories. This isn't a very long chapter, and doesn't really provide you with any answers yet, but it's some cute moments and sort of helps the plot along. I've been super busy lately, so I don't know when my next update will be. Wednesday at the VERY latest. I PROMISE! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Tears Of Joy**

Riza stared at him, unsure of what was going on. He was supposed to be dead! Everyone had said so. She was even filling out a report on it. He shouldn't have been there. Or, perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps this wasn't the Colonel at all.

But then, how did he know her name?

"Can I come in?" he asked.

She wasn't sure how to answer. If he really was Roy Mustang, she would let him in, in a heartbeat, but if he wasn't, then she could be making a big mistake.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, still very confused.

"It's a long story," he said. "Please, Hawkeye, may I come in?"

She couldn't resist the urge any longer. She nodded and gestured into the apartment.

"Of course, come in, sir!" she said.

He walked past her into the apartment and she shut the door behind him. She noticed a distinct limp as he walked by. She frowned, watching him carefully.

"Where have you been, sir?" she asked, staring at the back of his head.

He didn't answer immediately. Looking over his shoulder at her, he avoided her gaze.

"Perhaps we'll save that for another time..." he said quietly.

She nodded and moved toward him. A part of her was still determined to check and see if he really was the Colonel, but another part of her wanted it to be him so desperately that she'd believe almost anything.

Black Hayate began sniffing at Roy's legs. Riza watched them and jumped a little as he barked happily. She smiled, feeling as if she were about to cry. Even through all the dirt and grime, Black Hayate could tell who this man is.

Slowly, Roy bent over and patted him on his head. "Good boy, Black Hayate..."

It was him! How else would he know Black Hayate's name? It was certainly enough proof for Riza. It absolutely had to be him!

She hurried over to his side and took his arm, hesitantly. There was a sharp intake of breath as she pulled him along toward the couch. He looked tired and it would be best if he sat down for a while. Before sitting him down, she stopped.

"Perhaps we should clean you up first..." she muttered.

Roy didn't say anything as she turned and led him to the bathroom instead. She sat him down and rushed to find a face cloth. Running it under cold water, Riza realized he had been staring at her the entire time. It made her quite self-conscious. She had forgotten that she was still in her pajamas and looked as if she hadn't slept in ages.

However, in comparison to how Roy looked, she couldn't complain.

She kneeled down in front of him and slowly ran the cloth over the side of his face. His eyes relaxed and came to a close as she carefully removed most of the dirt. As it brushed across a large wound, he gasped and she pulled away quickly.

"I'm sorry," she said.

His eyes opened and he watched her. "It's all right..." he said quietly.

Tenderly, she finished washing his face as best as she could. His beard however, still made him look grubby. However, she didn't have anything he could use to shave at the moment. Next, she pulled out a comb and started to brush through the knots in his hair.

"If you'd like to take a shower, you can..." she offered. "Unless you'd rather go home and-"

He shook his head. She was certain she had never seen him so quiet in her life. What if she had been wrong? What if this wasn't Roy?

"I can't go home..." he muttered.

"Well, sure you can," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "I mean, you'd probably like to-"

But she had forgotten. It wasn't his apartment anymore. After his disappearance, his things had been removed and sent to headquarters. Last she'd heard, some young kid had rented the place out. Roy continued to shake his head.

"I'm not supposed to be here..." he said matter-of-factly. "I'm supposed to be dead, Hawkeye..."

She kneeled back down in front of him, attempting to look in his eyes. They were filled with sorrow and it troubled her greatly. She had only seen him look so upset once before and she hoped she never would again.

"Would you rather stay here?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

His eyes met hers in an almost pleading gaze. He seemed so vulnerable. Whatever he had faced had taken it's toll on him. She wondered if he would ever be the same again.

"Yes..." he answered.

Riza's hands rested on his knees and she nodded. "I'll go find you something you can throw on for tonight. Perhaps tomorrow we can find you some real clothes. You should take a shower, sir..."

He chuckled lightly. She was glad to see him smile.

"You keep bringing that up," he said softly. "I'm starting to wonder if I really stink, or if you just want to see me naked."

Riza couldn't help but laugh. There was no denying it anymore. This man was definitely Roy Mustang. Standing back up, she ruffled his hair.

"Trust me," she said. "You stink."

She left the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Black Hayate followed her as she went into her room to try and find something for Roy to wear. Her dog wagged his tail excitedly. It had been ages since he'd last seen his owner smile.

Pulling out a large shirt and a pair of pants, she left the room and knocked on the bathroom door.

"I've got some clothes for you..." she said through the crack in the doorway. "I'm going to leave them right out here for you."

"Okay..." he replied.

She placed the clothes outside the door and headed into the kitchen, suddenly feeling wide awake. Her mind kept wandering back into the bathroom where Roy was in the shower.

_Cut it out!_ she told herself forcefully. _That's bad! _

When he finally came back out, he looked much cleaner, though the long hair and the beard bothered her. She wasn't used to it and frankly, it didn't work for him.

Pouring him a cup of coffee, the two of them headed into the living room. He sipped at it and sat down on the couch. Riza sat down opposite him in a nearby chair.

"So, you can sleep out here tonight..." she said. "Or you can sleep in my bed and I'll sleep out here. It doesn't matter to me..."

His eyes wandered to her bedroom door and he smirked. Riza shook her head sadly, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Good thing he didn't actually say it, or she would have been even more embarrassed.

_Good ol' Roy...you're the same as ever..._

"I'll stay out here tonight," he answered. "You need to go to work tomorrow. I don't want to steal your bed."

Riza frowned. She had completely forgotten about work. Now that Roy was there, with her, she had no intention of going back to work. She wouldn't need it anymore. They could just lock themselves in the apartment and be perfectly content for the rest of their lives.

Slowly, she nodded. "So..." she started hesitantly. "Do you want to tell me where you've been for the past three months?"

He shook his head. "I told you," he said. "We'll save that for later. I don't want to talk about it right now."

She understood. It was going to be a sensitive subject and she would wait until he was comfortable with it. However, she wanted to know who had taken him. She wanted to make sure that they would pay for the grief that they had caused her and the pain that they had caused him.

It was as if Roy could read her mind. "Don't go off getting any ideas, now..." he said slowly. "Not until you have all the facts. I don't want you getting hurt, just because of me."

She stared at him and he drank his coffee, suddenly not looking at her. She breathed deeply, trying to think of something to say to break the silence.

"How long do you want to stay here, sir?" she asked, realizing it sounded a bit rude after saying it.

"Call me Roy," he told her. "We're not at work."

She gave him a look and he smiled.

"Fine then," he continued. "I won't call you 'Hawkeye', if you won't call me 'Sir'."

She nodded. "Very well. Then, how long do you want to stay here, _Roy_?" It sounded weird calling him by his first name straight to his face, but somehow, it was much more natural.

"Well, _Riza_," he said with a small laugh. "I don't know. I don't want you to think I'm overstaying my welcome, so it won't be very long, but it's not like I can really go anywhere, can I? I mean, I'm supposed to be dead. I can't go wandering the streets."

"Yes," she agreed. "Which means you're staying here. I don't care for how long. You'll stay here until everything is settled and this whole thing is over."

It sounded like she was giving him an order. He smiled at her and took the coffee cup from her hands.

"All right, then..." he said. "If you say so. But, now, you should go back to bed. It's going to be a long day for you tomorrow."

She nodded and stood up, remembering that she needed to get Roy some blankets before she went to bed. She returned with an old quilt and he took it graciously.

"I'm sorry for waking you up in the middle of the night," he apologized as he laid the blanket out on the couch.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'll get you back for it somehow..." With a small smile, she headed back toward her bedroom.

"Good night, Riza..." he said to her retreating back.

She stopped before her door and turned back to look at him. He was staring at her, smiling. "Good night, Roy..." she replied.

Lying down in bed, Riza pulled the covers to her chest, clinging to them tightly. So much had changed in just a few hours. She was awake. She was happy. She was smiling. And Roy...

Roy was alive. He was walking around like a human being. Breathing and eating and everything. And now, he was sleeping in her living room.

Yes, so much had changed and Riza never wanted it to go back to the way it was before.

She felt tears start to roll down her cheeks and land on her pillow. For the first time ever, Riza Hawkeye cried herself to sleep with tears of joy.

**A/N:** Yeah I know, it's short, but please bear with me. I've got a lot going on right now, so I'm updating whenever I get the chance. Please REVIEW! I love hearing from everyone. Oh yeah...and I've been meaning to ask...I have two different versions in my head and you guys get to choose...Homunculi Villian or New Villian that I make up? Majority rules! Tell me in your reviews...or PM me. Whatever works. Thanks!


	4. Not Ready Yet

**DISCLAIMER:** Okies. I do not own FMA. I give full credit to Hiromu Arakawa. (Man, I need to make a recording or something of this...)

**A/N:** Sorry for the lack of update. I've been working a lot lately and all my school work has made my life very hectic. The only time I really get to write is to and from school or in class when I have nothing better to do. I am also trying to update all my stories at least one chapter at a time, before updating another. I have to update CrossFire and ID"TCO" (see profile for details) before I can update this one again. I'm sorry if this is moving slow. I'm still trying to develop the plotline and villain and all that good stuff. OH! And thank you, all of you, who voted for new villain or Homunculi villain. I have actually chosen, using an idea brought up by one of my reviewers. (I will contact that reviewer and mention them in my A/N when the villian first appears.) Thank you all again so much.

**Chapter 4: Not Ready Yet**

Riza awoke the next morning, unsure if she had dreamed the events of the night before. She closed her eyes once again, trying to remember everything that had happened. A large smile spread across her face as Roy's face entered her mind.

Slowly getting out of bed, she slipped her bathrobe back on and tip-toed into the kitchen. Black Hayate came running toward her and she pat him on the head lightly. Straightening out, Riza spotted the quilt on the couch. A large lump was snoring underneath it.

Riza chuckled lightly and quietly tried to make breakfast without waking him. He needed his rest more than she did. Even a shower couldn't help wash away the worn-out features that now donned his face.

The bacon was sizzling when Riza heard the floor creak. She looked up to see Roy smiling at her in the doorway. She nearly dropped the pan.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, concerned.

He shook his head and yawned. "Nope. The smell did. What are you making?"

"Bacon and eggs," she answered simply. Glancing at the clock, she realized she probably wouldn't have time to eat before heading out. "You should go back to sleep."

"No..." Roy said slowly, trying his best to look wide awake. "I'm fine. Besides, I don't want to be late for work." His lips were turned up in a small smirk.

Riza shook her head. "No. You're staying here. We've already talked about this. There's no way you're going to work just yet."

She didn't bother to look at him, but she knew he must have rolled his eyes. She honestly didn't know why he wanted to go back so badly. She would give anything not to go back to that place. Leaning against the counter, Roy watched her.

"So, what am I supposed to do today?" he asked.

"Relax," she told him, as if this were an obvious answer. "I'm going out this morning to get you some clothes. When I get home, you're getting a haircut and you're shaving."

Roy rubbed the side of his head. "Man, I can't even imagine what it would be like to be married to you. Nag, nag, nag..."

Riza glanced him, raising an eyebrow. He laughed and said that he was kidding. She wasn't so sure if he was. Finally finishing the bacon, she slid a few slices onto a plate along with three eggs. Roy's eyes shone with hunger.

"Eat," she ordered, shoving the plate in front of him. "I'm going to take a shower and go to work."

As she headed toward the door, he turned around to face her. "Wait, you're not going to eat anything?"

Riza shook her head. "I don't have time. I'll get something at headquarters. Havoc's always willing to go out and get me something, I'll have him buy me a cake or something."

"Havoc?" Roy's face was unreadable. It was as if he were confused and...was that jealousy? "What about Havoc?"

Before she could answer, she shut the door to the bathroom. She showered and dressed hastily and re-entered the kitchen, where Roy was washing off the now empty plate. She was dressed in a professional looking skirt and button up shirt.

"I thought you said you were going to work," he asked, taking in her appearance. He wasn't complaining, but she certainly couldn't wear that to work. It wasn't uniform.

"I am," she said. "But I'm shopping first. You can't expect me to go out in uniform."

He didn't see why not, but he was certainly enjoying how the skirt looked on her. She noticed him staring at her and became self-conscious. She moved behind the table.

"Well," she looked around nervously. "I've got a few books on the small shelf in the living room. They're all romance though, I don't know if you want to read them."

Roy didn't say anything. He never expected Riza to be the kind of person to read romance novels. He smiled lightly and she continued.

"I think I have an old chess set somewhere in the closet," she said. "I know you like chess, so maybe you can work on your strategy or something. Other than that, I'm not sure what you can-"

"I'll be fine," Roy said, cutting her off. "I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy."

Riza nodded and headed toward the front door. Roy followed her, watching as she turned the doorknob. She caught sight of him before leaving and jumped lightly.

"What?"

He opened his mouth slightly, but closed it, changing his mind. "Have a good day," he said quietly.

Riza was a bit caught off guard by the sensitiveness of his words, but smiled weakly. She nodded shortly and shut the door behind her, leaving Roy by himself in a very awkward state.

xoxox

Riza slipped into her office carrying many bags. She had not had the opportunity to change into her uniform, so was still wearing a skirt. As she placed the bags on her desk, she heard the door open behind her.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," came a cheerful voice. "You're finally here."

Lieutenant Ross entered the room with a file. She hardly looked at Riza as she moved toward the desk.

"The Führer called. He wants you to call him. You have two more reports to fill out and-" she paused, finally looking at her. "Where have you been?"

"Laundry," Riza answered shortly, reaching for the bags. Her hands trembling, they brushed against the side of a bag, knocking it over and spilling the contents onto the floor. Before Riza could reach it, Lieutenant Ross reached down to help pick up the clothes. "I haven't had much time lately to..."

Lieutenant Ross looked down at the shirt in her hands. Riza stared at it, desperately thinking of an excuse.

"I'm not sure what's going on here," Ross said slowly. "But I don't recall you ever wearing men's shirts."

Riza didn't say anything. For one of the first times in her life, she couldn't come up with something believable. Lieutenant Ross looked over the shirt, a queer look of understanding crossing her face.

"Riza..." she said, using her first name again. "I think I know what this is..." she moved closer to the desk and looked Riza in the eye. "I know you're still dealing with the Colonel's death, but I think this is going a bit far. Wearing his old shirts?" she held up the shirt in front of Riza and shook her head slowly. "Look, I have this friend I think can help-"

Riza couldn't help but laugh. Her friend had been trying to help and act sympathetic, but she just didn't understand what was really going on.

Actually, it didn't have anything to do with understanding. She didn't _know_.

"Maria," Riza said quietly. "It's not that. My cousin is staying with me for a few days. That's _his_ shirt, not mine." The words seemed to tumble right out of her mouth.

Ross' eyes widened in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sorry. I-I just thought that-"

Her hand hit something under the shirt. A small paper price tag was hooked just below the collar. Pretending not to take notice, she placed the shirt down onto the desk.

"I suppose I'll let you get to work then," she concluded, straightening herself out. "Good day, Lieutenant." She saluted.

Riza nodded shortly as Ross left the room. Breathing a sigh of relief, she sank down into her chair. Hopefully no one would try to verify the cousin story.

She found it even harder to concentrate. Her mind kept going back to the house where she was certain Roy was ready to hang himself. Forcing herself to look at the reports in front of her, she sighed and began writing, kicking the bags of clothing further under her desk.

xoxox

"I'm home," Riza said, opening the door to her apartment. She walked down the small hallway, waiting for a response. "Roy? Black Hayate?"

There was still no answer. Her forehead crinkled with worry as she looked around for the other inhabitants, finding the apartment to be quite empty.

"Roy?" she asked again. "Are you-"

She stopped suddenly. Roy was fast asleep on the couch again. This time, Black Hayate had jumped up as well and was curled up beside Roy's stomach. She wasn't sure how long she stood there watching them, but for some reason, she couldn't make herself move.

Dropping the bags, Black Hayate's ears perked up and he lifted his head. He spotted Riza and leapt off the couch, hitting Roy in the face with his tail. Roy's eyes fluttered open and he sat up, noticing Riza was staring at him.

"Oh, hi..." he said sleepily. "I didn't know you were home. I was going to wait up for you. When did you get here?"

"Just a minute ago," Riza replied, finding it hard to bring her voice above a whisper.

An awkward silence passed between them. Her eyes scanned the clock and realized it was nearly midnight. She had finally called the Führer, five minutes before leaving, but had received his secretary instead. She decided she would call him back another day.

Remembering the bags by her feet, Riza picked them up and carried them over to where Roy was sitting, placing them down in front of him.

"I picked up some clothes for you this morning," she said. "I hope they fit. I wasn't certain of your size."

He smirked and looked through the bags. The look on his face told her he was pleased with her selection.

"Thank you," he said, putting a shirt back into the bag. "I promise I'll pay you back once everything is back to normal."

Riza shook her head. "No, you don't have to do that."

"But I _want_ to," he told her.

"Really, I don't need-" Riza insisted.

"Riza, I-"

"Sir, _please!_" Riza said forcefully.

"Ah!" Roy pointed at her, looking serious. "What did I say about using that word?"

They stared at each other through narrowed eyes. Finally, Riza smiled, laughing lightly. Roy leaned back on the couch and smiled at her. He had never really heard her laugh before. Like, _really _laugh. He liked the sound of it.

"Speaking of which," Roy broke the silence. "How was work today?"

Riza groaned. She didn't want to talk about work. Every day it seemed like her workload was doubled and she had half the time to finish it all in. Roy chuckled and understood what she was trying to tell him.

"That bad, eh?" he asked.

She nodded. "And getting worse. If you ever go back, I don't think I'm ever going to get on your case for taking a break ever again."

"A lot of paperwork?" he smiled, knowingly.

"Mmm..." she nodded in agreement. "Sometimes, I just want to shoot whoever walks through that door carrying a file. I'm not sure what's stopped me so far."

"Well," Roy said slowly. "If I were you, I would resist the urge to shoot anyone for right now."

Unfortunately, she agreed with him. Despite how much she hated it, she would have to sit quietly behind her desk and fill out every report that came her way in the time period allotted. How Roy had managed to do it for so long was beyond her, especially with her pointing a gun to his head most of the time.

"What did you do today?" Riza asked, taking notice of the open chess set.

He half-shrugged. "Nothing really. Cleaned."

"I noticed," she said, looking around the apartment. "It's very unlike you Roy..."

"I didn't go in your room," he said hastily. "I promise."

She hadn't even thought of that. It wasn't like there was anything in there she didn't want him going through, but she was still a bit paranoid. It would be quite unnerving to know he had been roaming through her underwear drawer.

And then, her diary was in there too. There was no lock on it, making it out in the open for everyone to read. She had never had to worry about it before, because it was only her and Black Hayate. Now, she would have to find a good hiding place.

Not that Roy would ever read it...

She paused for a minute, thinking it over. Roy was still watching her carefully.

_Under the mattress, _she thought hastily. She would move it tonight, before she went to bed.

"Roy..." she started hesitantly. "When are you going to tell me what happened?"

He fell silent, staring at the carpeted floor. His onyx-colored eyes didn't blink once. Riza waited, hoping that he was finally going to tell her where he had been for the past three months. Slowly, he looked back up at her, his eyes meeting hers.

"I'm sorry Riza..." he answered softly. "I don't think I'm ready yet."

**A/N:** Okay, so you know the routine. Please REVIEW. I love getting them. I don't care if you've already reviewed a thousand times. I want to hear from you. There should be an update eventually. I'll shoot for...ehhh...Monday. (Then again, I said I was going to shoot for Wednesday and I think that was like a week ago.) SO! Let's go with Monday. If I don't update then...then you know I got caught up with work...or maybe I was buried under the towering pile of AP homework. I'm going to become even more busy very soon. I'm auditioning for the Fall Musical at my school in a week or so, so I'll be very busy with that as well. Wish me luck! (In the drama way. "Break a Leg" for those of you who don't know. I'm very superstitious, so don't say the "G.L." words or I'll completely freak out. I'm not kidding. Ask any of my friends. Lol.) Anyways! Talk to you all soon! Bye!


	5. Answers

**DISCLAIMER:** -yawns- I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the characters...-mumbles to lawyer- Do I _really_ have to do this every time? -Lawyer nods- Awww...

**A/N:** Sorry for the lack of update. I've been really busy lately. I also apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the rest of them. I wrote it in kind of a hurry, but it answers some of the questions you may have had. Anyways, please read and enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Answers**

"Hello?" Riza answered the phone cheerfully.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," Führer Bradley's voice rung in her ears, causing her stomach to drop. "How have you been?"

"Fine," she replied stiffly. "How can I help you, sir?"

He cleared his throat loudly. "I was calling in regards to that report on Colonel Mustang. Have you finished it?"

Riza had stored the file in the bottom of her desk. She knew she was going to have to find a way to put off doing it, but hadn't come up with an excuse yet.

"Actually, sir..." she started slowly. "I wanted to ask you about that. Would you mind if I did some investigating concerning that case?"

The line went silent. She knew it was hopeless. He was never going to give her more time to fill it out.

"Lieutenant," he spoke up. "It's been over three months, there's nothing left. I don't know what you're going to find."

"But sir, I-" she tried to butt in.

"Listen, there are a thousand more reports that need filling out. Unless you have substantial evidence to prove there is more to the case than we know, I don't believe it is necessary to do more investigating."

Riza felt herself grow angry. There had been little to no investigating in the first place. That was what had upset her most in the beginning. It was as if they had no intention to find him, nor did the Führer give orders to do so.

She couldn't say this, of course. It wouldn't only get her into trouble, which was the last thing she needed. She had promised Roy she would stay on the down low until things were settled.

"Can I get a little more time to fill that out?" she asked.

He sighed heavily. "Two days, Lieutenant. Two days. That's all I'm giving you."

She nodded. "Thank you, sir."

She added two days to the three she had left from before. Hopefully, by that time, she would have some answers from Roy that would qualify as 'substantial evidence' in the Führer's eyes. If she didn't, then Roy Mustang would officially be considered a dead man.

xoxox

Days passed and it became routine for Riza to come home and find Roy asleep on the couch. She would wake him up and they would sit up and talk for an hour or so. Sometimes, she would arrive to a wonderful dinner, still warm and waiting for her on the table. Roy would even put off eating so that they could eat together.

One afternoon, Riza left work early, claiming that she was feeling ill. No one protested. As she walked out of the building, she smiled. It had only been too easy.

When she opened the from door, Black Hayate came running. Roy appeared at the end of the hallway, looking confused. When he spotted her, he smiled.

"You're home early..." he said.

"Would you prefer me to go back to work?" she asked coolly, dropping her bag on the floor. Black Hayate sniffed at it, excitedly.

"No," Roy answered, a little _too_ quickly.

Riza's surprise at noticing this did not leak onto her face, but still remained. He had been acting very strange lately and Riza couldn't help but notice the change. Breaking the awkwardness, he turned and went back into the living room.

She went into the kitchen to get something to drink. Standing in the doorway separating the two rooms, she noticed he was staring out the window again. There was nothing interesting to see in her opinion. It wasn't like the spacious stretch of land and sky at headquarters.

"What are you looking at?" Riza finally spoke up, still watching him curiously.

Roy shrugged and Riza moved to his side. Down below, she could see several people moving through the streets, visiting the shops that lined them.

"You see that man there?" he pointed. "The butcher? He's having an affair. And if you wait a minute, you'll see his daughter sneak out the back window."

Riza watched and sure enough, a woman came walking down the alley. Her hair was graying and she appeared quite frail. At the end of the alley, she met up with an older man.

"Daughter?" Riza was confused.

"Yeah," Roy said, not looking away. "She's a little over Ed's age. Apparently, her boyfriend's in trouble for killing someone. See how they use disguises to fool everyone?"

Riza looked at him. "How do you-"

"I'm not sure," his eyes narrowed. "I think she's in a delicate condition."

Riza's eyes darted from the girl to Roy. She was a woman and she couldn't tell whether she was pregnant or not. How could Roy know all this?

"Then, there's that little old lady down at the corner," he continued. "She lost her husband a couple years ago. Every day, she comes out at the same time to feed the birds from her steps. She never says anything, but children who walk by place flowers there for her."

Riza shook her head, slowly. "Roy Mustang you are unbelievable..."

He didn't say anything and continued to watch the bustle out on the streets. Riza didn't understand it, but Roy had some sort of gift for reading people. Unless, of course, he'd been out of the house and had met these people face to face. The latter seemed unlikely.

"How do you know this?" she said quietly.

"I don't know..." he told her simply. "If I watch people long enough, it just comes to me."

"So that's what you're always doing at work..." Riza said, not really expecting an answer. "When you're looking out the window. You're not looking at the view, you're watching people."

He nodded. "You learn a lot about people by their actions. What they do subconsciously can't lie to you. It's a good way to learn where others' loyalties lie."

Riza didn't know what to say. Roy sighed deeply, shoving his hands into his pockets. He blinked slowly and looked as if he were thinking something over thoroughly.

"It's interesting the things you'll learn when you just pay attention..." he added. "Some of your deepest, darkest secrets are revealed when you don't even realize it."

Riza swallowed. Her mind was littered with secrets that he might have known for ages without her even knowing. He might have known her feelings toward him for ages. If he had, he'd never said anything.

Did that mean he didn't feel the same way?

"Makes you think about it, doesn't it?" he asked absently. "What others might know." His eyes seemed to glaze over. Riza was certain that he wasn't really watching anything anymore. He was staring off into space.

"Roy, I-" she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Riza," he said suddenly, breaking from his trance. "I think I'm ready."

She stared at him. "What?"

He glanced at her, breathing deeply. "I think I'm ready to tell you what happened..."

xoxox

"...a Homunculus?" Riza asked, staring at Roy wide-eyed. They were sitting face to face on the couch. Her head moved back and forth as if it were on a hinge. "One we don't have records of?"

He nodded. "I don't understand it either. I don't know where she came from."

"She?" Riza rose her eyebrow.

"Yes," he answered. "She's young, but not weak. She's like the kid..." He shook his head in disbelief. "She's strong and determined. Always seemed angry at something, or someone."

"Did she ever say anything?" Riza asked, trying to get as much out of him as she could. Every last detail he could remember could be helpful to them.

"She didn't talk to me much," Roy said. "When she did, she was either threatening or mocking me. She never told me what she had planned to do with me. She just said that I would be helpful later on."

Riza was trying to string everything together. "How did she get you anyway? What happened that day?"

Roy stared at the arm of the couch as if he were trying to remember everything. He opened his mouth several times before actually speaking. "I received a tip from an outside source and-"

"Wait!" she interrupted. "You investigated an anonymous tip? All by yourself? Without telling _anyone_?"

Before he could nod, she smacked him. A look of shock appeared on his face as a large red mark started to show where her hand had made contact. He rubbed it lightly and Riza clapped her hand to her mouth.

"I'm sorry about that," she said quickly. "I didn-"

"No," he shrugged it off. "I deserved that. I shouldn't have gone alone. None of this would ever have happened."

Riza leaned back against the cushioning and watched him. A weird emotion came over her. He seemed vulnerable, which was beyond strange when it came to him.

"I got to the building and..." he stared off again. Riza couldn't tell whether he was thinking or making something up. "I-I don't remember much after. I heard someone speak and I went off to see who it was. I saw the girl standing there and...then I blacked out."

"What happened when you woke up?" Riza continued.

"Nothing, really," he said, looking confused himself. "I was locked up. My gloves were missing..." he froze, looking down at his hands. "My gloves! I completely forgot about them until now. I didn't bother to look for them before I left..."

Riza hardly thought that his gloves were the most important thing on his mind at that time. He could always get a new pair, but if he had stayed there any longer, he may have been killed.

"I'll find some at headquarters," Riza said, though she didn't see why he'd need them. Perhaps they were more of a security blanket for him than a weapon at that point.

He nodded and continued with his story. "After that, she started to ask me questions about the military. When I wouldn't answer, she started the torture."

Riza felt her breath become caught in her throat. She didn't like to think about Roy being tortured. Shaking her head, she tried to drive the terrible image from her mind.

"Don't worry about it," he told her, noticing the uneasy look on her face. "I'm fine now, that's all that matters, right?"

Riza nodded, though she could tell that there was more to the story than he was telling her.

"How do you suppose this Homunculus was created?" Riza asked, trying to focus on other details.

A strange look came across Roy's face. He didn't answer her and after several minutes passed, she realized that she wasn't going to get one. He didn't know how it had happened. She took his hand in hers, rubbing it gently with her thumb. He looked at their hands, the tips of his ears turning red.

Riza didn't know what had come over them, but there was something calming about sitting there with him, simply holding his hand. She had never felt more at peace than when she was near him.

"Are you hungry?" she said, breaking the silence.

He looked up suddenly, a weak smile creeping onto his face. He nodded and she stood, heading toward the kitchen. When she returned moments later to ask him what he wanted for dinner, he was sprawled across the couch, fast asleep.

xoxox

"_It's funny, Colonel..." a young voice spoke up. "No one has come to find you. Don't you find that funny? I find it hilarious."_

_Roy couldn't see the speaker. She was hiding somewhere in the corner with a massive book covering her face. It didn't help that both of his eyes were swollen and bloodshot as well. He rubbed them, irritated._

"_Colonel?" she spoke up. "Did you hear me?"_

_Roy didn't answer. He had stopped answering her questions a week before. He had been punished for it, certainly, but that didn't stop him. He wasn't about to stoop that low in order to please her, even if it cost him his life. It wasn't as though he thought his life was worth anything to begin with._

_He heard a loud 'thump' and knew that she had placed the book down on the table. Her footsteps could be heard echoing off the walls as she moved over toward him. Her shoulder-length black hair accentuated the thin features of her face. She peered through the bars that held the worn-looking Colonel._

"_You're not answering me, Colonel..." she pointed out, grinning widely. "You know what happens when you don't answer me."_

_Roy didn't care. He refused to even look at her. Suddenly, he saw light reflect off of something metal. He glanced at her nervously as the blade appeared in front of his face._

"_Do we have to keep doing this the hard way, sir?" she asked._

_The blade moved incredibly close to his face and stopped millimeters before his nose. Her eyes scanned the details of his face._

"_Should I start at the ear?" she suggested, moving the blade toward the left side of his face. "Or your nose?" She placed it against the skin under his nose. "Do you have any preferences?"_

_When he continued to ignore her, she made up her own mind and moved toward Roy's neck. Before the blade made contact with his skin, he gasped._

Roy sat up, realizing he was no longer in the prison he had been held in for months. He was sleeping on the couch in the middle of Riza's living room. It wasn't long before he remembered that he had spent the past few nights there. He hadn't been tortured in over a week, and yet the nightmares continued to come.

_It was only a dream..._he told himself.

He held a hand to his head as it throbbed painfully. He got to his feet, searching for the clock in the darkness. He finally found it and realized it was nearly one in the morning. Riza was probably asleep. Just to make sure, he walked toward her bedroom.

He opened the door slowly and peeked inside. On the bed he could see Black Hayate curled up tightly in a little ball. Riza's blonde hair flowed across her pillow and her expression was peaceful. He leaned against the door and watched her, smiling faintly.

He had not been aware of the times that Riza had watched him while he was sleeping. This time, it was the opposite. It was his turn to watch her.

She was different from the others. No matter how long he stared at her, he couldn't make heads or tails of what her actions meant. He felt things for her he had never felt toward a woman before. She was his best friend and yet, he had never felt like this toward Maes. No, something about this was different and he didn't know what it was.

Sliding down the wall, Roy decided to watch her as long as he could until he got the answers he wanted. If Riza could get hers, it was only fair that he could as well. He refused to sleep until all of his questions were answered.

Even if that took him forever...

**A/N:** Thank you for reading! Please Review! As I've said a thousand times before, I love hearing from you guys. I will have the next chapter up, when I get the chance. It might be a while, but please, please, please, please be patient with me! I'm trying my best! Thanks!


	6. Meeting Malice

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own FMA or any of the characters. (Sorry my disclaimer isn't more interesting...)

**A/N:** Sorry, I've been so unbelievably busy lately. I'm trying to update as much as possible. I find out tomorrow about my drama auditions, so I might be pretty busy with that soon. I hope you like this chapter. I tried to take a different approach with it, trying to bring out the villain more. Oh an incase there was some confusion, uhm, Roy DID have scars on his face and arms and Riza DID notice. It says so in Chapter 2 when he first shows up at the apartment. Sorry if you missed that. I hope all is better now.

**Chapter 6: Meeting Malice**

"I'm speaking to the Führer today," Riza said entering the kitchen in full uniform, her black bag swinging at her side. "We need to start investigating that Homunculus, immediately."

Roy stared at her. "You're really worried about that, aren't you?"

"I'm not worried," she said firmly. "I'm concerned. As you should be as well. Your life hangs in the balance, Roy!"

"Whoa..." Roy said, setting a plate down on the table in front of her. "No need to get all worked up _before_ you go to work."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, frowning. "I just...I really don't want to be the one to sign that death report."

He shrugged. "Then don't."

Riza sank down into her chair, "I have to. I only have a day left 'til the Führer wants it."

"Then give it to him..." Roy sat down opposite her, holding another plate. "If he wants it so badly." His answers seemed so simple and unhelpful.

"But then..." she started. "Then you'd be considered-"

"I _said_..." his eyes locked onto hers. "_Don't_ sign it..."

Riza understood. If she sent it to the Führer without signing it, it wouldn't be valid. But, surely, he would notice and send it back.

"How is that going to help?" she asked after pointing this out to him.

Roy looked up at her, "You wanted more time didn't you? To start an investigation?"

Riza gaped at him. He smiled back at her devilishly. If she wasn't resisting the urge to do so with every fiber of her being, she could have kissed him.

"That's perfect..." she said.

"I'm not a complete idiot..." he said, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his messy hair.

Riza leapt out of her seat and headed toward the door. Roy stared after her, rising a little out of his chair.

"Hey! Where are you going? What about breakfast?"

"It was delicious!" she called back to him. "Thank you!"

"But-" he started.

_SLAM!_ She had shut the door forcefully behind her. Roy frowned, looking at Riza's plate.

"You didn't eat anything..." he finished to himself.

Sighing deeply, he picked up the plates, suddenly not feeling very hungry. Once he cleaned everything up, he returned to his usual spot by the window.

xoxox

Riza's pen sat poised above the page. She was tempted to simply put the report back into the folder and send it off, like Roy said, but what if she got into trouble?

_Make it seem like it was an accident..._

I could do that...

_No one would ever have to know..._

But I would...

_But you'd be saving Roy's life..._

A strange expression dawned across her face. She wanted to help Roy more than anything. She could try to pull it off, but it was going to be difficult by herself.

But who could she trust? Edward?

_No...he'd do anything to expose Roy, just in spite of him..._

Then who? Who wouldn't tell? Who would be able to keep it a secret?

_Knock!_

"Lieutenant?" Lieutenant Ross' voice traveled through the door. "Are you in here?"

"Maria!" Riza yelped.

_No, she wouldn't be able to keep it secret. She'd tell Sergeant Brosh as soon as she left the office..._

"I'm so sorry," she said, entering the room. "I'm becoming a nuisance, I know, but the Führer wants the Colonel report."

"I thought I had one more day..." Riza said slowly.

Ross shrugged. "I don't know. He just called and asked for it."

Riza looked down at it, still holding her pen upright. An argument was still going on inside her head. She couldn't seem to make up her mind.

"Do you have it?" Ross asked, peering at Riza curiously.

Riza placed her pen down on the desk and slid the report into a nearby file. With a small smile, she handed it over to Lieutenant Ross.

"Just finished," she told her.

Ross gave her a strange look. She was taken aback by the smile she had received. She had half expected Riza to burst into tears and refuse to hand it over.

Then again, Riza was never known to be the type to do something like that.

"Thank you..." Ross said carefully, heading for the doorway.

As the door closed, Riza breathed a sigh of relief. A small smile crept across her lips as she thought of how Roy was going to react when she told him she went along with his plan.

Sometimes it was shocking what she would do for that man.

xoxox

"_You..." a slow, drawling voice said._

_A voluptuous woman moved toward the open door. Her long black hair flowed down her back and drifted across her exposed neckline, embellishing the red tattoo above her breasts._

"_You're back," she continued. "I thought we told you that we were through with you..."_

"_You did?" an innocent female voice asked. "I don't seem to recall..." her tone was forced and annoyed the other woman._

"_Lust?" a male voice sounded. A large, pale bumbling man appeared at her side. His mouth was open wide and drool appeared at the corners. "Is she back? Can I eat her this time?"_

"_Now, now Gluttony..." the woman said softly. "You're just going to have to wait..."_

_The girl in the doorway watched with keen interest. Her reddish eyes reflected in the dim light of the moon. Lust turned her head back to the girl._

"_What do you want?"_

_The girl grinned. "You know what I want. My offer still stands."_

"_Not interested," another voice interrupted. The gender could not be determined by the voice itself, but was strangely high pitched. _

_A tall person stood in the middle of the room. They resembled a woman, though it was difficult to tell if they really were. The girl stared at them, narrowing her eyes. She had met with this one before, and knew that _he_ had a terrible temper._

"_Envy..." Lust said warningly. _

"_No," Envy said, walking forward. "She's not like us. She can't be trusted."_

"_But I am," the girl said. "I was created the same way. I want revenge just as you do. I-"_

_Lust held up her hand to silence her. "You don't understand. There's a difference between us..."_

"_I was created just as you were!" the girl's anger was evident as her voice rose. "Human transmutation! I was human once too! I want to be again..."_

_Lust fell silent as she watched the girl. Envy moved closer to her, a dangerous smile lingering on his face._

"_We're still not interested..." he said menacingly. _

"_What do you have to offer us?" Lust asked, her eyes seeming to have glazed over. She was still staring past Ency, not blinking._

"_WHAT!" Envy whipped around. "You're actually considering this?"_

_The girl looked back at Lust, finally feeling as if she were getting somewhere. "Well, for one, I have ties to the military..."_

"_And you think we don't?" Envy shot at her. "We have our own military ties. We don't need yours!"_

"_Secondly," she continued, ignoring Envy. "You want Fullmetal..." her eyes glittered. "I can get you Fullmetal..."_

"_Ha!" Envy laughed._

"_How?" Lust sounded interested._

_Envy gaped at her. He couldn't believe that she was even considering letting this mere child be one of them._

"_Lust!" he shouted. "We don't need her to get that pipsqueak! That's MY job! We can handle this entirely on our own!"_

"_Shut up!" she hissed at him. "I want to hear what she has to say!"_

"_We don't need her!" he insisted. "We don't!"_

"_But look, Envy..." Lust gazed at the girl almost lovingly. "She's adorable..." she glanced at Envy. "This could work to our advantage."_

_Envy's jaw dropped. Jealousy spread across his face, causing it to turn bright red. "No! I'm supposed to be the cute one! ME!"_

"_Afraid of being replaced, Envy?" the girl's voice taunted. "Afraid that you're no longer going to be number one?"_

_Without missing a beat, Envy spun around, charging at her angrily. She cried out, but retaliated quickly. Lust watched as the pair began to dodge around the room. _

_A cry of pain rang out and blood spurted on the wall. Lust couldn't tell which of them had been hurt, for they were still moving with incredible speed._

"_Envy!" she called out. "Stop that!"_

_It was no use. Nor did it really matter to her. She thought that the girl would be helpful to an extent, but they could succeed even without her. Nothing would change if Envy killed her. Instead of intervening, Lust watched, mildly curious to see how it turned out._

_Envy lunged at her, slicing the girl's shoulder open, missing Lust by millimeters. Lust yelled at him, though he didn't seem to hear her. Gluttony watched the splatters of blood hungrily as they landed on the floor. _

_The girl gasped for breath as Envy succeeded in tripping her. He held his blade to her neck, preparing for the fatal blow. Her red eyes were wide in fear._

"_Malice..." Lust said, walking over to Envy and placing her hand on his shoulder. "Get out of here..." _

_The girl, obviously named Malice, stared back at her. Quickly, she wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth, leaving a red trail across the side of her face. Envy looked at Lust angrily._

"_No!" he said, "I'm gonna kill her."_

"_No, Envy..." Lust said, her tone of voice never changing. She always sounded calm and cool. "She's no help to us...dead or alive."_

_Malice glared at her and Envy reluctantly pulled his blade away. She watched as Envy led the Homunculi away from the scene, mumbling irritably to himself. Lust stopped suddenly to look at Malice over her shoulder._

"_Oh and remember," she said. "Next time, we _will_ kill you..."_

Malice shook her head, remembering the day she had confronted the Homunculi. None of them thought she could do it, but she had. She had captured the Colonel, the one closest to Fullmetal. She had nearly gotten to the young Alchemist, but something went wrong.

Her eyes traveled across a wall of her den. It was covered with drawings. Several of them appeared to be of transmutation circles, while others were drawings of people, including the Homunculi. The one resembling Envy had several holes through it.

In the corner of the room, were several bars jetting out from the floor and the ceiling. They seemed to create a sort of prison like structure. Red spots marked the floors and walls beyond them, accented by several long scratches along the wooden panels. The place reeked with pain and despair. Malice glanced at it, warily. She had no use for it at the moment.

Sighing, she turned back to her work. A large book was opened in front of her on the desk. She was doing research on human transmutation. None of it made any sense to her. She needed an Alchemist to explain it to her. Unfortunately, her Alchemist had escaped.

She was going to have to face the Homunculi again sooner or later. Only, this time, it wasn't them who needed her help. She needed theirs.

She stared at another picture. This one resembled the Colonel with incredible likeness. It was as if someone had taken his face and plastered it onto a piece of paper, then stuck it on the wall. The look on Malice's face was unreadable, but there were certainly underlying emotions hiding behind the anger in her eye.

There was more to the Colonel than anyone knew. More than he would ever let anyone know. But she did and she would use it against him one day.

She did, after all, want revenge...

**A/N:** All right, there you are. It was a short chapter, I know, I'm sorry. So, thank you Batdel for helping me come up with the villain idea. I actually the name Malice from a Panic! At the Disco song: "Time To Dance", which goes : "Give me envy, give me malice..." so I thought it was perfect. Other than that, I couldn't come up with a fitting Homunculus name. Omg, did you know that Homunculi were considered real things? One of the older definitions was : "A dwarf said to be created in a flask by an Alchemist". Cool huh? I thought so. Lol. Maybe I'm just a geek. Anyways, I'll update soon. PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. An Twist On A Very Old Relationship

**DISCLAIMER:** Me? Own FMA? Ha! I wish.

**A/N:** Wow, I think this was one of my quickest updates. So, this is a chapter pretty much dedicated to furthering Roy and Riza's friendship. Nothing real big happens in this chapter, if that's what you're thinking. It's just kinda...cute. I guess. More to come in the next couple chapters. Oh and that whole "implied sex" thing, might not be so much "implied" anymore. I have some ideas on it...and it's very much going to be described, but not in a crazy, wild, hentai way. shudders Yeah, I'm not all into the bad lemon thing, though some I've read are very beautifully written.

**Chapter 7: An Interesting Twist On A Very Old Relationship**

The phone rang as Havoc walked down the hall. He stopped abruptly and looked around. There was no one nearby, so he answered it himself.

"Hello. Eastern Headquarters." he said professionally.

"Hello," a deep voice said on the other end of the line. "May I speak to Lieutenant Hawkeye, please?"

Havoc froze, his cigarette lingering dangerously at the corner of his mouth. "Chief? Is that you?"

The man on the other end didn't answer immediately. "I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else..." he said finally. "I don't believe I'm a chief of any kind."

Havoc frowned. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. Hold on a moment."

He pressed a couple buttons and set the receiver down next to the phone box. Hurrying to Riza's office, he threw open the door, not bothering to knock before entering. Riza jumped.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "But you have a phone call. I know you don't want to hear this, but it sounds like Colonel Mustang."

"Colonel Mustang?" Riza's face looked concerned.

_No...he wouldn't dare..._

"That's not possible," she said firmly, taking hold of the receiver on her own phone. She held it up to her ear carefully. "Hello?"

"Hey!" a familiar voice rang in her ear.

"Ry-Ryan!" she said, coming up with the first name that came to mind. "What are you doing calling me at this hour?" Havoc looked confused and Riza rolled her eyes, mimicking annoyance, trying to give Havoc the wrong impression.

"Ryan?" Roy's voice asked. "Who the Hell is Ryan? It's Roy."

"I _know_," Riza said, putting emphasis on the word "know" so Roy would understand. "I'm quite busy here, actually." She rose her voice. "Isn't that right, Lieutenant Havoc?"

"Havoc?" Roy asked. "Havoc's there? In your office?" he stopped shortly. "What is _he_ doing there?"

"It doesn't matter," Riza answered, trying to keep her answers as vague as possible. Roy kept jumping to conclusions about Havoc. There was no way Riza was even mildly interested in him. Where on Earth was he getting that idea? "Lieutenant, do you mind excusing me for a minute while I finish up this call?"

He nodded shortly, though a look of accusing curiosity still crossed his face. When the door shut, Riza sighed deeply, sinking back into her chair.

"Goddammit, Roy! What the Hell were you thinking, calling me at work?" she hissed.

Roy didn't answer immediately. "I was bored, I-"

"You were _bored_?" Riza's anger was evident. "You risked everything just because you were _bored_? What if someone other than Havoc had answered? What if these lines were tapped? We already have reason to belief they are! After what happened to Brigadier General Hughes, how could you-"

"All right!" Roy said forcefully. "I get it. I guess I wasn't thinking right, or something. I just wanted to talk to someone. It's getting hard being here all by myself with nowhere to go. I think I'm ready to go crazy."

Riza sighed, feeling a bit less angry. "Well, don't go crazy just yet. I still need you..."

He chuckled lightly. "So, is there any chance of you coming home early tonight?"

"I don't know..." Riza said, eyeing the stack of papers on her desk. "I still have a lot of work to do..."

Outside the room, Havoc had placed his ear against the wood. He had tried to go back to the other phone and listen in, but someone had already hung it back up and when he lifted it he only received a dial tone.

He could have sworn he'd heard Riza say "Roy" as he was leaving, but wasn't one hundred percent positive. He could have been imagining things, which wasn't likely, but still very possible. Perhaps, part of him truly wanted Riza to be talking to Roy. Then, his friend would still be alive.

"I just want to get out of here so bad," Roy told her. "I wish I could."

"Well..." Riza said slowly. "Maybe you can."

"How?" Roy sounded slightly confused, and more than slightly interested. "I'm all ears."

"I still have to think it through, but maybe we can go out tonight," she said, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want Roy to think she meant it as a date. If he did and still liked the idea of it, then great! But, if he didn't see it as a date, they would still be able to spend the evening together out on the town.

"Sounds good to me..." Roy said. "So, does this mean you're coming home early?"

Riza laughed. "Yes. As soon as I can, actually..." She pushed the pile of papers to the side of her desk, feeling, for once, just like he did when he worked. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "See you."

"Oh and Roy," she stopped him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Never call me at work again."

With that, she hung up. Part of her was certain that Havoc was waiting outside her door listening in on the entire conversation. She only hoped he hadn't figured out who she was talking to.

xoxox

"I suppose this will have to work..." Riza said, stepping back from Roy, taking in his appearance.

He was dressed in quite normal attire. He wore his usual button-up white shirt and black dressy pants. His black shoes were still scuffed, but Riza had polished them to the best of her ability. Riza bit her lip as she looked him over.

_No, he's still too recognizable..._

She went through the pile of men's clothing she had bought for him, coming across a black dinner jacket. It was a bit formal, but fit with the rest of the outfit. She threw it at him and he quickly tossed it on, looking at himself in the mirror.

"I still look like me..." he pointed out.

"I'm working on it," she said, still digging through the pile. "I'm working on it..." She pulled out a long tie. "A-ha!"

Carefully, she wound it around Roy's neck and began to tie it. He still didn't see how this was helping him look any different. She hadn't changed his appearance at all. Certainly he looked more formal than usual, but he was still Roy. Riza noticed as well, but didn't care. He looked handsome.

Fixing his sleeves and his tie, Roy tensed up as Riza's hands slid over his arms and chest. He tried to focus on anything other than her hands, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Finally, she pulled them away, feeling embarrassed herself.

"We're going to have to do something with your hair..." she said, staring at him.

Without warning, she disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a wet comb. Hastily, she began pulling it back. He cringed as she tugged at it.

"Ouch..." he cringed. "Hey, careful..."

"Oh, shut up, you big crybaby," she said, brushing the back of it.

Roy didn't have time to let her insult to sink in, for a moment later, she was standing in front of him again, looking him over with a small smile on her face. Roy liked the smile.

"See something you like, Lieutenant?" he asked, smiling handsomely.

Riza snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "What? No, I was just thinking. I mean, it's not great, but it'll have to do."

Roy look into the mirror. His hair looked the way it did at Hughes' funeral. He didn't like his hair that way, but Riza had begun to stare at him fondly again.

"Maybe..." he started slowly. "Maybe I should have a hat or something."

"A hat?" Riza raised an eyebrow. She couldn't imagine Roy in any other hat than his military one. She didn't even know if she owned any hats. "Let me check..."

She searched her closet. Roy watched her as she dove deeper and deeper into it. She emerged moments later carrying a worn looking hat box.

"This was my Father's..." she said, placing it down on the bed and lifting the lid. "I think he wore it to his wedding."

She pulled out an old fashioned top hat. She held it in front of her and gazed at it affectionately. Roy didn't think it would suit him well at all.

"There..." she said, placing it atop his head. "Perfect."

Roy looked very strange. The top hat seemed to do the trick. His face still looked the same, but the rest of the ensemble wasn't very Roy-esque. Riza felt it would be enough for the evening.

"Do I have to have the hat on all night?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"You're the one who wanted it," she replied coolly. "And yes. It won't work if you don't wear the hat."

"You sound like this is some kind of magic spell..." he said. He looked back in the mirror, trying to get used to the idea of him in a top hat. "I feel like I'm getting ready for my own wedding..."

Riza stared at him in the mirror. "You say that like it's a bad thing..."

"It is," he said. "I'm _not _ready to get married."

Riza shook her head. "I never said you were. I was just simply stating that you sounded as if you never wanted to get married."

Roy frowned, though he didn't say anything. Riza continued to watch him as he fiddled with the coat and tie, purposely ignoring the hat.

"_Do _you want to get married, Roy?" she asked out of curiosity. He had never seemed like the kind to want to settle down and have a family, but perhaps the recent events had changed his mind a bit.

"It's dangerous to try and have a family while you're involved in this business," he said seriously. "It can only end in pain and despair."

Riza knew Roy was referring to Hughes. She had thought about that as well. If she ever started a family of her own, she would probably leave the military. However, since she had dedicated her life to protecting Roy, she couldn't just up and do that now could she? No, if her family didn't include Roy, she wouldn't have one at all.

"It doesn't mean I'm not interested though..." he said reassuringly. "Some day..."

Riza nodded forcefully and Roy turned to her, spreading his arms out wide. Riza smiled at him and shooed him out of the room so she could get dressed herself. By the time six o'clock rolled around, the two of them were heading out the apartment with Black Hayate on a leash in front of them.

"Where are we going?" Roy asked, as the descended the stairs of the apartment.

Riza shrugged. "Wherever you want to go..."

They wandered the streets together, stopping at the different vendors selling things along them. They came face to face with the cheating butcher and who they believed to be his daughter sneaking off once again. Her boyfriend was dressed as a businessman this time.

Black Hayate began to tug at his leash as they neared the park. Roy laughed as Riza felt herself being pulled forward.

"Braha, stop it..." she ordered.

"It looks like he wants to go to the park," Roy said, pointing in the direction of it.

Riza sighed and nodded, allowing Black Hayate to lead them there. She let him off his leash and he began to prance around, chasing the butterflies that flew from flower to flower. Roy and Riza sat underneath a tree, watching him with identical looks of happiness on their faces.

Laughing, Roy stood up and chased after Black Hayate. The dog ran after him and jumped as Roy taunted him with a stick. Black Hayate jumped after it, showing it off for a minute, then bringing it back to Roy for it to be thrown again.

Riza watched, smiling to herself. Roy's hat had been discarded long ago, but she hardly cared. She hadn't seen Roy look so happy in ages and it pleased her to see him smiling again.

"Up, boy! Up!" Roy's voice rang through the park.

Black Hayate jumped and grabbed the stick from Roy's hands. He clapped and waited for him to bring it back.

"You know, that's a bad thing to be teaching him..." Riza said loudly. "If he starts doing that with food, I'm blaming you."

Roy looked up and smiled at her. He hadn't heard what she said, but had definitely heard her voice. He waved at her, not taking notice of a sharp pain in his other hand. Looking down, he realized that Black Hayate had tried to force the stick back into his hand, urging him to throw it once more.

A few minutes later, Roy flopped back down on the grass beside Riza, laying on his back. He stared up at the sky, sighing deeply. Black Hayate came over to them and sniffed Roy's hand expectantly.

Giving up his search for the missing stick, Black Hayate curled up beside Riza's feet. Riza glanced over at Roy, who looked as if he were ready to fall asleep.

"Are you ready to go home?" she asked.

He shook his head, his eyes closing slowly. "I want to stay here. Just for a minute..."

Slowly, he breathed in the smells of the outdoors. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to, and didn't know when his next chance would be. He wanted that moment to last as long as it could.

"Is there anywhere else you want to go?" she suggested.

Carefully, he sat back up, staring at her. His hand brushed hers slightly and she blushed, though shook it off as an accident. He took the top hat in his hands and played with it.

"I don't know. Is there anywhere you want to go?" he asked.

Riza shrugged. To be completely honest, she didn't care where they went, as long as she was with him. She liked spending time with him. As much as they had done so when they worked together, it wasn't the same. Then, they had no choice. Now, it was entirely up to them.

"Maybe...we could take the long way home," she said slowly.

Roy nodded. He liked that idea. He didn't want to go home, but it would allow them more time outside.

The "long way home" included many of the same roads they had walked before. They walked through them once, twice, even three times, before actually heading in the direction of Riza's apartment. Black Hayate was starting to limp from walking around so much that they couldn't avoid it anymore.

As they passed a darkened street lamp, Riza felt Roy's hand brush hers once again. This time, however, she knew it wasn't an accident as a moment later, his fingers twined with hers. She could feel her cheeks turn red as she glanced sideways at him. A small grin peeked at the corner of his mouth.

They were nearly at Riza's apartment, when they passed an old stone stoop. Roy stopped suddenly, bringing Riza with him. Black Hayate didn't notice and only stopped when the leash wouldn't let him go any further.

Roy stared at one of the windows of the building. Riza recognized it. This was where the widowed old woman lived.

Roy moved suddenly, letting go of Riza's hand. He walked over to a nearby vendor. He talked to the woman behind it for a moment and returned carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

"Roy..." Riza said quietly as he stepped closer to the stoop.

Carefully, he set the flowers down on the top step. He bowed his head shortly and turned to Riza, taking her hand back in his. They walked away in silence. It only being broken when Riza decided to speak.

"That was very kind of you, Roy..." she told him.

He didn't say anything. He felt like he needed to do something in return for the woman. When he watched her, things seemed to make sense. He didn't want the material things he'd wanted before. Seeing her, still going on with life after disaster, caused him to realize that he could do the same.

Slowly, he smiled and squeezed Riza's hand gently. She understood. Not everything, but enough. There was something about that woman that greatly affected him and he felt like it was something he needed to do.

They arrived at the apartment soon after, climbing the stairs quietly. Roy still hadn't released her hand. When they stepped into the apartment, Roy walked into the living room, slowly shedding his jacket and tie. He tossed the top hat onto a nearby stand.

Riza watched him, silently wishing he'd take his shirt off. Catching herself, she turned and entered her room. As she undressed, she thought over everything that had happened.

The night had been full of strange events and yet, Riza had a good feeling about them. Something told her it was a great beginning to what was going to be an interesting new twist on a very old relationship.

**A/N:** Okay, so that's the end of this chapter. I will update when I get the chance. I'm almost finished CrossFire, so I'll be focusing on this one and ID'TCO'. I will probably be starting another Royai fic very soon, cause I have another idea. Please keep an eye out for that one. Oh and REVIEW! Thank you!


	8. Under the Weather

**DISCLAIMER:** Okay, yeah, you know the drill. I don't own FMA. HOWEVER, I own this plotline...story idea...whatever...cause I'm cool, and came up with it in the shower. -thumbs up-

**A/N:** Okay, so here's the next chapter. I'm trying to get this story going, but it's proving to be one of my hardest stories to write. I know what will be coming up in the next couple of chapters and it should make things much more interesting, so please bear with me!

**Chapter 8: Under the Weather**

_The door opened slowly and a small figure moved into the cavernous room. Light footsteps could be heard as it dashed across the floor, pausing by a grand staircase. They looked around the room anxiously, hoping they hadn't been spotted. _

_Tiptoeing up the stairs, they tried to be as discreet as possible. One wrong move and it would end up disastrous. Then again, they were certain it would probably end that way no matter what. _

_Voices could be heard up ahead. A door was open slightly at the end of the adjoining hallway. Moving toward it, the shadowed figure strained it's ears to hear the conversation going on. _

"_But how are we going to get the kid if he's so we-" a voice said._

"_Everything is under control," another came. This one was greatly different from the first. It was slower, deeper and much more calm, though it was clearly female. "Your impatience will undo you, Envy..."_

"_I'm sick of waiting!" Envy hissed. "I wanna kill that little pipsqueak!"_

"_Can I eat him when he's dead?" yet another voice asked. _

"_Gluttony..." the calm voice cooed. "I promise you can eat him when we kill him. But for now you-"_

"_I wanna eat him..." Gluttony continued. "Please Lust..."_

_Lust sighed. The shadowy figure peered through the open door and could see her stroking Gluttony's head. Envy was sitting cross-legged on a table, his arms crossed as well in a very childish pose. Lust glanced over at him._

"_Oh, would you stop whining Envy..." she said._

"_I'm not whining," Envy shot at her. "What are you talking about?"_

"_Ah! Temper, temper..." she said, waving a finger at him. A small smirk dancing across her plump lips. "These nasty little traits of yours Envy...they're simply going to cause you too much trouble in the future..."_

_Envy opened his mouth as if to say something, but thought better of it and looked away, closing it quickly. Lust nodded, chuckling lightly to herself. She loved having power over them._

"_Who's that?" Gluttony asked, staring at something the other's couldn't see._

"_What's that, Gluttony?" Lust asked, taking her eyes off Envy. "What do you see?"_

_The shadowy figure backed up a little, moving out of the light streaming through the crack in the doorway. Gluttony had been staring right at them. However, Lust had noticed them as well, before they could move entirely from view._

_The door opened and Lust appeared in the doorway, light now flooding the darkened hall. Her smirk faded into a deadly glare as she spotted who their visitor was._

"_Malice..." she growled. "I thought we told you-"_

"_Lust," Malice said, getting to her feet. "I need to speak to you. It's important."_

"_No," Lust said firmly. "I don't want to hear it. I told you that if you ever showed up again, we would kill you-"_

"_I know," Malice said, trying to butt in._

"_Isn't that what I said?" Lust asked tauntingly, her anger obviously increasing._

"_Yes, Ma'am, but-" Malice continued._

"_So what are you doing here?" she asked, a mad glint returning to her eyes. "Do you have a death wish?"_

"_Perhaps," Malice admitted. "I got the Flame Alchemist, like I told you I would..."_

_Lust's eyes grew wide. "The Flame-"_

"_Yes," Malice cut her off. "But, he seems to have gotten away from me. I wanted to-"_

"_No," Envy's voice cut in as he appeared next to Lust. _

"_I didn't get to finish!" Malice said sharply. Envy glared at her, but she continued talking. "I have an idea. I need the Flame Alchemist. You need Fullmetal. I can get Fullmetal for you, if in return you get me the Flame Alchemist back."_

"_How do you propose to do that?" Envy asked before Lust could even open her mouth._

"_Easy," Malice said, grinning evilly. "If you're willing to give me a chance..."_

xoxox

Riza sneezed loudly, nearly dropping the files in her hands. Ed reached out and grabbed one as it began to slip. He placed it back on top of the pile and stared at her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Riza's eyes were quite swollen and she had been sneezing all morning. To be completely honest, she had never felt more sick in her entire life. When she opened her mouth to answer him, she began to cough uncontrollably.

"Ms. Hawkeye," Al's voice came from behind Ed. "Are you not feeling well?"

When her coughing subsided, she smiled at them. "I'm fine boys. Don't worry about me. It's just a little chest cold, that's all."

"Maybe you should go home," Al suggested. "Sleep would be good. Maybe some soup."

"Or stew!" Ed chimed in. "Stew is good. Has milk, but still tastes-"

"I'll be fine," Riza insisted. "Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl."

With that, she headed back to her office, smiling forcefully. Once her door was shut, she leaned against it, sighing deeply. She felt her nose begin to tickle once again and she raced toward her desk for a tissue.

Sinking down into her chair, she closed her eyes and leaned back. It was quite relaxing and she felt as if she could fall asleep right there if she wanted to.

Too bad she'd pretty much be fired if she was caught. How was it that Roy could fall asleep whenever he damn well pleased, and she gets scolded every time she so much as closes her eyes for more than ten seconds? Growling to herself, she sat back up and attempted to look over the last of the reports on her desk.

They all seemed blurry to her. The words had bled together to form nothing but black blobs across the papers. She rubbed her eyes and placed the papers back into their files, not feeling up to finishing the rest of them.

There was a knock at the door and Riza groaned. Whoever was there took this as a command to enter for the door opened a moment later.

"Riza?" Maria Ross' calm voice came through the crack. "Can I come in?"

"Yes," Riza answered, glad it wasn't Havoc or someone. She didn't think she could put up with one of them at the moment. Maria she could deal with.

"Major Elric said you weren't feeling well," she said, entering the room and shutting the door behind her.

Riza rolled her eyes and made a mental note to tell Edward to keep his fat mouth shut. She didn't need all these people coming into her office to tell her to go home. She _wanted_ to go home, but didn't want to make that too obvious. In her many years of working for the military, she was not known for taking sick leave. Most of the time, she would work even if she was moving as though trying to run through molasses.

"I'm fine," Riza answered, shrugging and attempting to look normal. She couldn't do much about her eyes.

"You look terrible," Maria said. "Have you been sleeping at all?"

Riza sighed. "Yes." Maria raised an eyebrow. "A little." Riza admitted.

"This is just too much work for one person," Maria said matter-of-factly. "I think I might say something to someone about it. You're only one person, Riza. They're giving you the workload of a squadron."

Even _that_ was an understatement. She had even given up reading the reports she was given. She simply went through them and signed them wherever she saw a dotted line.

Avoiding Maria's gaze, Riza reached for another tissue, feeling yet another sneeze coming on. When she sneezed, Maria stared at her accusingly.

"You need to go home," Maria ordered.

"No," Riza said stubbornly. "I have work to finish here. I'm not going home until it's done."

Maria shook her head and moved to Riza's side. Despite Riza's protests, Maria pressed her hand to Riza's forehead. It was burning hot. Maria moved her hand quickly. "You have a fever. You need to go home and get some rest. You're not to come back until you're completely well."

Riza stared at her. "Are you giving _me_ an order, Lieutenant?"

Maria leaned against Riza's desk. "Yes, but not as your coworker. As your friend. I'm worried about you Riza. You haven't been yourself lately and I'm starting to wonder if we're ever going to get the old Riza back."

Riza didn't know what she was talking about. She had felt like her normal self recently, despite the constant underlying thoughts of Roy waiting for her at home, which had been conspicuously absent from her mind before his "death". Then again, back then, she didn't have anyone other than Black Hayate waiting for her at home and she always had Roy at the office with her.

"I'm fine, Maria..." Riza said again. "I really am. I just have a few more reports to fill out and then I'll go home. Will that make you happy?"

Maria didn't answer immediately. She thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Yes."

"Good," Riza said, turning back to her work. "Now, can you please excuse me so I can finish this?"

"Of course," Maria said, moving toward the door. "Oh and, no stalling. I want you out of here by six."

But six came and went. Along with fifty other reports. Riza had to knock the pile of tissues off her desk when Havoc entered that afternoon with more papers from the Führer. He made a comment about her appearance, but left quickly as she placed her hand on the butt of her gun.

Maria didn't make another appearance, so must have thought that Riza had gone home. Riza was pleased to find that no one else bothered her for the rest of the afternoon. While walking down the hall toward the front doors of the building, Riza felt like a giant balloon had wrapped itself around her head. All the noises around her sounded so distant and muffled.

Her apartment door banged shut behind her. She dropped her bag and moved toward the living room. After walking home, she didn't feel she had the strength to even call for Roy.

It wouldn't have mattered anyway. He was fast asleep on the couch again, though this time, he was only wearing a t-shirt and what looked like plaid boxers. Riza was too out of it to even notice his muscled body.

"Braha..." she said softly, moving into the kitchen. "Braha, where are you?"

Black Hayate didn't come running. It was possible he couldn't hear her, for her voice was barely above a whisper. She wished he would though. She was beginning to feel a bit lonely.

She was attacked by another coughing fit when she started to pour herself a glass of water. Roy sat up straight on the couch and looked around the room, panicking.

"Riza, is that you?" he asked carefully.

"Y-Yes," Riza answered, her voice cracking.

He stood and entered the kitchen. "Are you okay? It sounds like you're dying in here."

Riza shook her head. "Nothing to...w-worry about..." she reached for her glass of water. "Water w-went down the wrong w-way..." She quickly gulped down as much water as she could, feeling a bit better.

When she moved to put the glass in the sink, she felt her knees give out and nearly stumbled. Roy hurried forward and caught her by the arm.

"Maybe you should get some rest," he said, leading her out of the kitchen.

"I just...I just need to sit down..." she said, holding her hand to her head.

Roy helped her sit down on the couch. He sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a comforting sort of way. Riza buried her face in his shoulder, slowly feeling herself begin to drift off to sleep.

"Wha didjoo do today..." Riza asked, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Actually," he said. "I made stew."

Riza's head popped up. "Stew?"

Roy nodded. "Yes."

"Edward said something about stew today..." Riza tried to remember what it was. "Something about milk..." she shook her head. "I don't remember."

"That's all right," Roy told her. "You should take tomorrow off. We can heat up some stew and eat it for breakfast." He smiled, hoping the idea would make her laugh.

Instead, her eyes closed and her breathing slowed. He understood that in a matter of seconds, she was going to be fast asleep. Carefully, he picked her up into his arms and carried her into her bedroom. Avoiding Black Hayate, he placed her down on the bed.

Riza was still fully dressed in her uniform, boots included. Hesitantly, he began to untie them, pulling them off as easily as he could without waking her up. Sitting down next to her, he helped her into a sitting position. Part of her was still awake, for she could hold herself up for short periods of time while he helped her undress.

Her jacket came next. He slid it off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. He would put it away later. Staring at her, he wouldn't let himself undress anymore of her. Before laying her back down, he released the clip from her hair, causing the golden locks to tumble around her shoulders. Roy tucked them behind her ears and rested her back into her pillows.

She breathed deeply and her hand rested on the white fabric of her pillowcase. Roy pulled the blanket over her, still sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her.

Not sure what had come over him, he leaned over her and pressed his lips to her burning forehead. His hand traced the side of her face and a small smile appeared across her lips.

Roy noticed and smiled as well. A moment later, Black Hayate woke up and began itching himself furiously, causing his collar to jingle loudly. Roy turned to him.

"Come on, boy..." he said. "Let's leave Riza alone for now."

Black Hayate leapt off the bed as Roy beckoned him toward the door. Before he left, he looked back at her a final time and extinguished the candle beside the doorway, causing the room to dive into complete darkness.

**A/N:** Okay, so I wanted to write a chapter like this, where Riza's sick and Roy's all "Aww" about it, and thought now was a really good time, cause I'm sick too. I feel like utter crap and can definitely relate to Riza with the million tons of work to do. I will update when I get the chance, but if you get bored while waiting, please check out my new Royai fic "Last Train to Central". It's not long yet, but it's still in the process of starting, so please read it. Oh yeah and REVIEW. (For both stories.) THANK YOU!


	9. Sick Days and New Friends

**DISCLAIMER:** mumbles all tired like I don't own FMA...or any of the characters...except Malice, cause she's mine...

**A/N:** Okay, so there's been a demand for the next chapter. It doesn't focus much on Roy and Riza in this chapter (except for the very beginning), but strays off to include Ed and Al and some other characters. There will definitely be more RoyxRiza stuff next chapter. (Ha, I keep saying that...it never ends up happening) I will tri my best to get it into the next chapter! You guys really deserve it for being so patient. Yeah, so, as I started to say before, the whole "adult theme" sex thing, won't be implied, I'm changing that. It'll be a lemon...but not a bad one, cause I'm so bad at writing that kind of stuff. (I've tried. Trust me...it's not very good.) I'll warn those of you ahead of time, in case you don't want to read it. I'll even put a summary at the end of the chapter if you want to just read that. It'll tell you what happened, so you don't have to read all the lemon-y stuff. Lol. ANYWAYS! Focusing back on this chapter...ENJOY!

**Chapter 9: Sick Days and New Friends**

The next morning Riza woke to the sound of someone coming into her bedroom. Her eyes opened slowly and she watched as Roy crossed to her bed, carrying a small tray. He placed it down on her desk and noticed that she was watching him.

"Good morning," he said softly, moving toward her. He took her hand in his and pressed it to his lips. It was incredibly hot and nearly burned his mouth at the touch. "Do you feel any better?"

Riza smiled weakly, brushing her hair out of eyes. "A little..."

He rested his hand on her forehead. "You're still hot..."

Riza laughed and Roy realized what he said. He shook his head slowly.

"That's not what I meant," he said, smiling. "But, then again..." his eyes wandered down the length of her bed. Riza reached up and smacked him lightly.

They laughed again and Riza broke off, coughing uncontrollably. Roy frowned and stared at her. She tried to suppress the cough, failing horribly.

"You're not going to work today," he told her.

"I have to..." she croaked.

"No," he said firmly. "You're not going in. I'm not letting you. I'm going to call in sick for you."

"You can't," she said weakly. "They'll recognize your voice. I'll call in."

Riza tried to move out of bed, but felt her head spin as she sat up. Falling back into her pillows, she glanced at Roy. He nodded, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to move. Crossing to the phone on her desk, he picked it up and dialed the headquarters phone number.

"Hello, Eastern Headquarters." A familiar male voice answered on the other end.

"Hello, I'm calling on behalf of First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye," Roy said, trying to disguise his voice as much as possible. "She will not be attending work today. She's come down with something terrible and can barely get out of bed."

"Who is this?" Lieutenant Havoc asked.

"I'm her-..." his voice faltered and he looked at Riza for help.

"Cousin..." Riza whispered.

"Cousin," Roy said quickly.

Riza looked at him and mouthed the word "Ryan". Roy repeated what Riza had told him to say and Havoc made as sound of recognition.

"Oh yes," he said. "I remember you. I'll be sure to pass the word. I hope Lieutenant Hawkeye feels better soon."

"I'll let her know you said that," Roy said, "Thank you."

He hung up the phone and went over to her bed. She slid over, allowing him to sit next to her. He wrapped his arm around her and she rest his head against his shoulder.

"Havoc sends his love," Roy said quietly.

"Mm..." Riza murmured. "I bet he does..."

"Are you sure there isn't something going on between the two of you?" Roy asked jokingly, though part of him was truly curious. "Every time I try to get a hold of you, he's the one who answers. And you're always talking about him and-"

Riza shook her head, her eyes relaxing to a close. "No..."

"Are you positive?" he continued. "I mean, you certainly have a lot of alone time in that office now. He doesn't make frequent visits just to-"

"Roy..." Riza said sternly, staring up at him.

Roy chuckled lightly, a bit relieved that there was nothing going on between them. Riza wasn't likely to lie to him, especially about something like this. Hesitantly, he started to move away from her.

"You should get more rest. I brought in some stew for you if you want some," he said.

She clung to the front of his shirt, preventing him from going anywhere. It was clear that she was half-asleep, for she probably would never have done so if she were entirely conscious. She mumbled into his chest.

"No..." he heard her say. "Stay here..."

He returned to his sitting position and pulled her closer to him. With a satisfied sigh, Riza snuggled up to him. A moment later, her shallow breathing told him she'd fallen asleep. His hand absently stroked her hair.

Resting his head on hers, he started to feel tired as well, though his mind was still swimming. Riza had always been close to him, closer than anyone as a matter of fact. Even Hughes, and that was saying something. So, why was now suddenly different? How was lying here in bed with her different than sitting next to her in a car? Why were the feelings different?

He could hear her breathing. He could hear her heartbeat. Everything that told him she was still alive. It all seemed different, because in fact, it was. The circumstances had changed. They were no longer bound by the rules of the military, so feelings could flow freely, as they were obviously doing. He had to be careful though. He didn't want to promise Riza anything he wasn't positive he could give her. He was considered a dead man, after all.

xoxox

"Brother!" Al called out. "Brother, where are you going?"

"Out," Ed answered shortly. "I'll be back later."

Ed hurried out the front door of Eastern Headquarters, leaving his brother behind him. He needed to get away from everything. He was tired of everyone reminding him of all that he still had to do. Not to mention, they still treated him like a kid while doing so and it was really getting to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore.

He stopped short and looked around. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he was determined to get away. There was a small shop with a few tables sitting in front of it not too far from him. Slowly, he made his way toward them and sat down.

He ran his hands through his hair repeatedly, as if that would help him remove all the thoughts from his mind. He only wished he had someone to talk to. Someone who'd understand the position he was in. Someone who'd listen.

_Damn you, Mustang..._Ed thought bitterly. As much as he hated the arrogant Colonel, he couldn't help but feel horribly responsible for his death. _He_ was the one dealing with the Homunculi, not Roy. Roy shouldn't have been involved. He should have been focusing on his own work.

"Is this seat taken?" a voice came from beside him.

He looked up suddenly. "Huh?" A young woman stood in front of him. She smiled at him, blinking slowly. "Oh," he looked at the empty seat next to his. "No, it's not."

She sat down and stared at him. "You looked like you could use a friend," she said cheerfully.

Ed didn't say anything. He wasn't used to people randomly coming over to talk to him, unless they knew who he was. This girl hadn't mentioned the words "full" and "metal" yet, so he assumed she didn't recognize him. Part of him was relieved by this.

For some reason, the girl in front of him reminded him of Winry. She had the same general build, but her hair was different. Unlike Winry's, her hair was as black as a raven's wing. The style was quite the same though. She even wore a similar outfit. The resemblance was uncanny.

"I'm Alice, by the way," she said, holding out her hand.

Ed took it carefully, and shook it. "Edward," he replied.

She smiled. "Nice name. I like it." When he didn't say anything, she continued talking. "I'm new around here. I don't really know anyone."

"Where are you from?" Ed asked, a bit curious.

"The North," she answered. Her eyes flashed in the sunlight, revealing a reddish nature about them.

He could have guessed that. Her skin was quite pale, yet it had a strange glow to it. "Really?" he asked. "How long have you been here?"

"Actually," she said, looking down at her hands and fiddling with her unnaturally long fingernails. "I only got here this morning. I'm staying with some family of mine. They said I should get out and explore the city. So," she breathed deeply. "Here I am."

"Heh," Ed said, watching her with interest. "Well, I've been here for a couple years. I pretty much know the area like the back of my hand."

Alice stared at the gloves that covered his hands and chuckled. "That must not be very well, seeing as they're hidden."

He looked down at them and laughed, though it was a bit forced. This was partially true. He didn't know his hand very well, at least, not his right one. It was always being changed and replaced, and with all of Winry's upgrades, it was never the same one twice.

"So, Edward..." Alice said conversationally. "What do kids like us do for fun around here?"

Fun? Ed hardly knew the meaning of the word. His life had revolved around the military and his search for the Philosopher's Stone since god-knows-when. He hardly had any time for fun. Not to mention, he barely saw the city outside headquarters during the daytime.

"Edward?" she asked, peering into his face. It had gone slack and it appeared he was thinking over something thoroughly. "Are you all right?"

He snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. To be completely honest," he said. "I don't know. I don't get out much. My brother and I work a lot. There's not a lot of time for playing."

"Your brother?" Alice sounded curious. "Do you live here with your family?"

Ed opened his mouth to answer, but closed it quickly, starting to feel uncomfortable. He wasn't about to talk about this with a complete stranger. "You could say that..." he answered vaguely.

"I'd like to meet them, sometime..." she said happily.

Ed glanced up at her. She truly looked like she wanted to. He smiled. "Well then, maybe I can meet your family afterward."

Alice's smile vanished quickly. She stared at him for a moment, then returned to her normal state. "Of course. I'm sure they'd be glad to meet you."

He nodded shortly. Her sudden change in disposition bothered him, but he looked over it for the moment. "So," he started slowly, grinning handsomely. "Would you like me to give you the special tour of the town?"

Her eyes lit up. "Ooooh," she gasped. "Yes!"

She grabbed Ed's good arm and he led her from the tables. He headed in the direction of some of the old warehouses, the part of the city he was most familiar with. He wasn't sure what he'd be showing her quite what she was expecting, but it would no doubt be interesting. As they approached the buildings, Ed noticed the small grin of satisfaction that danced across her bright red lips.

-----

"How did you find this place?" Alice asked, walking across the large open room of an abandoned warehouse later that afternoon. She looked around in awe, as if she'd never seen such a large building in her life.

"By accident," he told her honestly. The first time he'd ever entered that particular warehouse was when he'd been tailing a Homunculus. He thought he'd seen it enter the warehouse, but had clearly been mistaken when it appeared to be empty.

"Oh Edward," she said with a dreamy sigh. "Your life is so perfect. You're so free to do whatever you want. You can go anywhere, see anything, talk to anyone. It's everything I've ever wanted."

"What do you mean?" Ed asked walking parallel to her only a couple feet away.

Alice frowned. "My Father controls everything I do. He's pretty much made me what I am today." She growled angrily. "A complete and utter mess."

Ed stared at her. "I don't think that."

She laughed. "You hardly know me. My Father hates me. He thinks I'm nothing but trouble. If he were ever given the opportunity, he would probably kill me."

"No, he wouldn't," Ed insisted.

"Yes, he would," Alice told him. "He left me not too long ago. That's why I'm here. I'm staying with my grandmother. It's hard for her, though. She has to take care of me and my two brothers. They came to live with her a while back, when my Mother disappeared."

"Why did you stay with your Father?" Ed asked, feeling incredibly sorry for this girl, but could empathize with her.

"I didn't have a choice," she said sadly. "My Mother sent my brothers away. Then, she was gone and I was left all alone. He tried to get rid of me, himself, but failed. I never trusted him again after that."

"Sounds like your Dad's a deranged psychopath," Ed said bluntly.

"He is!" Alice insisted, sounding terrified. "If he ever finds out I'm here..." she shuddered. "I don't know what he'll do to me."

Ed stopped. Alice continued walking, her head bowed. He wondered if he should tell someone at headquarters about this. They could keep an eye out for him and keep Alice in a safe place until he was found. He wasn't sure if he should tell her this or not. He didn't want to reveal his military status just yet.

"I-I can help you," Ed told her. "If that's what you'd like..."

She stopped, but didn't look back at him. "How would you do that?"

"I know some people," he explained. "Some people from the military. I can talk to them. They can start a search for him and when they find him, they can make sure that he's locked away. That way, he can never hurt you again."

Alice continued to stare forward. "Would they have him destroyed?"

She didn't sound scared anymore. She sounded angry, yet a part of her voice was a bit eager. Ed was taken aback by her abruptness, but understood. "I don't know," he said. "It would be up to them."

Slowly, she glanced at him over her shoulder. "You would do that for me?"

"Yeah!" he said, a little to quickly. "I mean, of course. If it would really mean that much to you."

Alice threw her arms around him, causing him to turn a bright shade of red. "Oh, it would! Thank you Edward! You have no idea how much it would mean to me. You have _no _idea!" Her voice sounded emotional, though her expression bore quite the opposite. Ed was unable to see that she was smiling, her eyes flashing red once more.

-----

"Where have you been?" Al asked accusingly as Ed walked through the door late that night.

Ed didn't answer him as he wandered over to his bed, humming lightly. Al wondered what was wrong with his brother. He'd never seen him quite like this before.

Al repeated his question several times. Without answering him, Ed went about his business and changed into his pajamas. Still humming, he slid into bed and rolled over, facing the wall.

Al watched him through what would be narrowed eyes, if he had functioning eyes to work with. Something had changed. In a matter of hours, Ed had gone from being a distraught, raging teenager, to a content, humming young man. Al didn't even have to remind him not to sleep with his stomach out. He was completely covered by the blanket.

"Good night, Al..." he heard Ed's strangely cheerful voice mumble from underneath the covers.

Al stared at him for a moment before replying. He was certain that he would know what was going on sooner or later. Ed wouldn't be able to hide it from him that long.

"Good night, brother..."

**A/N:** Uh oh? Do I smell trouble for our little Fullmetal friend? Perhaps! Lol. Wow am I tired. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter. It was something different, so yeah, review and tell me what you thought. I'll have the next chapter up soon. I'll be busy for the next couple days, but trust me, I'll keep working on it. And I promise some Royai stuff. Thanks again for reading this far!


	10. Solving The Enigma: Roy Mustang

**DISCLAIMER:** -clings to Roy blanket- No...I don't own FMA...-sadness-

**A/N:** Okay, so you've been asking for it. Here is a Royai filled chapter. Lemon...ish warning. It's not terrible, terrible like some out there, but it's still a lemon. If you don't want to read it, you can read up until it actually starts. You'll see ----, where it starts, or sorta starts. OR you can read the summary at the very bottom. Thank you so much. I don't know how good this is, cause I've never really written something like this before and get really embarrassed when I know someone else has to read it. I hope it's good enough though...please enjoy.

**Chapter 10: Solving The Enigma: Roy Mustang**

"Edward Elric!" a female voice rang out as Ed and Al started up the front steps of Eastern Headquarters. Ed stopped suddenly and turned around. He was stunned to see a black-haired girl running toward him, waving frantically. "Ed!"

"Alice!" he said, turning a bright shade of red. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she said, smiling broadly. "Is that a problem?"

He shook his head quickly, almost completely forgetting that his brother was standing right behind him. "How did you know I was here?"

She shrugged. "Lucky guess?"

Al wondered if he was the only one to find that statement odd. It wasn't usual to see fifteen-year-olds hanging out in front of military headquarters, especially this early in the morning. Al stared at the girl in interest. He had never seen her before and wondered how his brother knew her.

"Oh, Al..." Ed said, finally remembering his brother. "This is Alice. She's knew in town. I've been showing her around. Alice, this is my younger brother Alphonse."

Alice glanced upward at Al and nodded. "Hello, Alphonse. Pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Al said politely. Even though he did not fully trust this girl, he was well-mannered around her. It was possible that his assumptions about her were entirely wrong.

"Well," Ed waved at Al. "I guess I'll see you later then, Al."

"Wait!" Al yelped. "Where are you going? Aren't you staying here?"

Ed shook his head. "I'm going with Alice. I figured I'd give her the grand tour today. You'll cover for me, won't you? I promise to return the favor someday."

Before Al could say anything, Alice had grabbed Ed's arm and the pair had headed away from the building. He watched as they disappeared into a crowd, wondering where on earth he could be taking her.

Slowly, he turned back to the doors and headed inside. He wandered the hallways for a while, finally finding who he wanted to talk to.

"First Lieutenant Hawkeye!" He said, spotting the First Lieutenant as she headed toward her office. She had returned from sick leave, looking better than she had in a long time. Everyone was glad to see her back.

She turned at the sound of someone calling her name. When she spotted Al, she smiled. "Why, Hello Alphonse. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Ma'am..." he answered. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you for asking," she said. When he continued to stare at her, she urged him to continue with why he'd stopped her. "Is there something you want to talk to me about, Alphonse?"

He fell silent for a moment and nodded solemnly. When he didn't explain, she ushered him into her office and offered him a seat which he took graciously.

"What's the matter?" she asked as he sat down.

"It's my brother," he started. "I'm worried about him."

Riza smirked a little. "We're all worried about him. He does tend to have this habit of getting into trouble whenever he can..."

Al shook his head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, I think he's making a mistake."

"What kind of mistake?" Riza asked.

"Well..." Al didn't know how to explain it. "He met this girl."

Riza's eyebrows raised and were in danger of being lost behind her bangs. "Really?"

"Yes," Al said. "I don't know how he met her and I don't know where, but there's something about her that makes me nervous. She's got these red eyes and-"

"Al..." Riza said slowly. "Are you jealous of your brother?"

"What?" he squeaked. "No! Not at all, Ma'am. I just don't know if Ed should trust her. She appeared out of nowhere outside the building this morning. I don't think Ed even told her he worked here."

"Perhaps she used common sense, Alphonse..." Riza said calmly. "Edward Elric is not a common name and is quite well-known around town. She was bound to recognize him."

Al didn't know what to say. Riza was easily deflecting all of his accusations. He knew she wasn't going to be an easy one to convince, but thought it was best that he at least got the idea out there. Feeling as if there were nothing more he could say at that time, he got to his feet.

"I'd better be going," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Ma'am..."

"Don't worry about it," she told him. "You can always come to talk to me. I'll keep an eye on Edward, if you'd like me to. I'll even look in on this girl of his."

Al nodded shortly. "Thank you."

He left and Riza sat back in her chair. It was strange to think of Edward with another girl. She was always certain there had been something going on between him and Winry. Shrugging, she looked down at her papers. Perhaps it was all in her mind. It was an easy mistake to make, for the two had been friends since they were children.

Looking up from her paper, something struck her. She had seen a similar circumstance before. It took her a moment to realize it was _her_ circumstance she was thinking about. She and Roy had been friends since they were young and many would swear on their lives that there was an intense attraction between the two of them.

But if she couldn't figure out Winry and Ed's feelings, how in the world would she be able to figure out the biggest male enigma of them all?

Roy Mustang.

xoxox

Riza's mind was still reeling when she opened the door to her apartment that night. Black Hayate came running down the hall, his tail wagging furiously behind him. It was nearly eight o'clock and she was certain Roy would still be awake. As she dropped her bag down on the floor, she waited for him to appear at the end of the hall.

When he didn't, she went looking for him. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, staring at a page of a book intensely. A moment later, Riza realized that his eyes weren't moving and he was merely dazing off.

"Roy?" she spoke his voice softly, hoping to catch his attention.

His head jerked up and he stared at her, blinking quickly. "Riza! Oh, I was just-uh...Wow," he glanced at the clock. "You're home early."

"I finished all my work," she explained. "Something I don't think you ever achieved in you many years of working there."

He laughed half-heartedly and put the book down on the small table by the couch. Bringing himself to his feet, he stretched a bit and walked over to her, pulling her into a tight hug. Her body tensed as she felt him pull her closer, wondering what had gotten into him. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back.

"Are you making dinner tonight, then?" he asked.

She placed her hand on his chest and pushed him away, laughing. "Oh, is that what that was all about? You just wanted me to make dinner for you?" He laughed and shook his head. "I see how it is," Riza continued. "I slave away at work all day while you sit on your butt and you still expect me to make you dinner. You know what, for all I care, you can eat out of Braha's bowl."

She moved into the kitchen, leaving him standing in the middle of the living room, gaping at her. He followed her, smirking devilishly.

"Aw, come on," he said. "You know I was kidding."

Riza knew this of course, but she didn't want him to know. She put on her serious voice and opened the fridge, refusing to look at him. "I wasn't. I believe there are some scraps left from his breakfast. You can snack on those."

"Come on, Rize..." he wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. He had taken to calling her "Rize", as if "Riza" weren't short enough. "I don't feel like cooking tonight."

"Well, you don't have to," she replied, pulling away from him. "It's already in the dish waiting for you."

He stared at her as she began to place some vegetables on the table. Looking up, Riza laughed at the look on his face. She couldn't believe he had actually thought she was serious.

She began cutting up some of the vegetables, still dressed in her uniform. He watched as her fingers moved delicately along them with the knife. He felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach and forced himself to look away.

"So, I can't have anything?" he asked, trying to concentrate back on his growling stomach. Or, well, it _had_ been growling moments before. Now it had a weird fluttery feeling.

Riza sighed and forked a piece of lettuce, popping it into his mouth. She smiled lightly as she pulled the fork from his mouth and he began to chew slowly.

It was almost entirely gone when he smiled. "This isn't poisoned, is it?"

Riza continued to smiled, this time feeding him a tomato. Then a pepper, and another piece of lettuce. He seemed to be moving closer to her with every bite.

When he was merely inches from her face, she panicked and moved away, scooping the rest of the vegetables into a pan. Quickly, she moved it to the stove, turning it on.

"I suppose I'll take pity on you," she told him. "And let you eat with me tonight, but tomorrow it's back to water and bread crusts."

"Am I your prisoner now?" he asked slyly.

Riza knew what he was thinking and frankly, she liked the idea, but wasn't going to act on it. She nodded slowly.

"Something like that."

They at dinner in the silence. Occasionally, they would exchange secret glances, then hastily look back down at their food. Black Hayate sat by Roy's foot, watching him with hungry eyes. When Riza looked away, Roy dropped a tomato on the floor, which the dog lapped up immediately.

Back in the living room, Roy switched on the small radio Riza had. He stood in the middle of the room and held his hand out to her.

"May I have this dance, Lieutenant?" he asked formally.

Riza blushed and laughed, thinking he was joking. When he didn't drop his hand and flop down beside her on the couch, she realized he was serious and got to her feet.

"I haven't danced in ages," she confessed. "I don't believe I'll be any good."

He smiled as she took his hand and he pulled her close to him. "Well, I've got my own confession. I don't know how to dance..." Riza began to sway to the music. "Can you teach me?"

Riza stared up at him for a moment. Quickly, she moved away from him, back toward the couch.

"Is that a 'no'?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

Carefully, Riza began to until her boots and slip them off. "No," she replied. "But it would certainly be difficult to dance in uniform, don't you think?"

He watched as she removed her heavy blue jacket, revealing a thin black shirt underneath. It was tight and tucked into her pants, giving her a very elegant look. She returned to Roy and placed his hand on her hip, taking the other in her own.

"It's simple," she said quietly. "You move with the music."

The pair began to move slowly and Roy seemed to be catching on. Every once and a while, he'd stand on her foot, but she'd overlook it.

"Do we ever get closer?" Roy asked, indicating the large amount of space between them. "Maybe it's just me, but this feels weird."

"Oh," Riza said, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Yes, well...we could...if you want t-"

Roy's ar slid around her waist, pulling her against him. The music had slowed and Riza closed her eyes, breathing deeply and trying to control her heart rate, which seemed to have sped up increasingly.

She couldn't even hear the music anymore. Roy's body and their movement was all that could fill her mind. She felt as if she were drowning in the sweet, clean smell of him.

"Ouch!" Riza yelped, breaking out of her stupor. Roy had stepped on her foot again. She eyed him suspiciously. She was certain he'd been moving away from her. Had he done it on purpose?

"I'm sorry!" he apologized. "Are you all right?"

Riza nodded, but pulled away from him, seeming to come to her senses. "Perhaps we should stop for the night."

Roy didn't want to, but he agreed. Riza pulled a pillow from the couch and sat it down on the floor, plopping down on top of it and nursing her sore foot. Roy copied her, though he didn't have any hurt toes to massage.

Without warning, he grabbed Riza's foot and began to rub it gently. At first, she longed to pull away, but relaxed as he glanced up at her.

"I really am sorry about that," he repeated. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Riza shrugged it off. "It's okay. I think I'll survive. I'm a big girl, Roy..." she threw him an accusing glare. "Though, I do have something I want to ask you."

He looked up, still holding her foot. "What?"

She jerked her foot from his grasp and glared at him. "Don't tell me that not one single woman you dated ever took you out dancing on your date! Did you honestly think I'd fall for that?"

He stared at her in shock, but frowned. "I...well...hehe...it got you to dance with me didn't it?"

Riza grabbed the pillow from underneath her butt and smacked him upside the head with it. He was stunned by the blow, but returned the attack by pulling out his own pillow and hitting her back. The two of them got to their feet and began chasing each other around the room.

"Roy!" Riza called out, laughing hysterically. Roy whacked her back, causing her to stumble forward. "Ahh!"

Running from her, Roy hid behind the couch. Deciding to sneak up on him, Riza threw herself at the couch, slowly moving herself over the back. Roy stood up abruptly, hitting her on her head. She screamed happily and fell backward.

When Roy made a move to come after her again, she got to her feet and raced into her bedroom, him closely at her heels. Roy dropped the pillow and grabbed her around the waist. She laughed and turned around, catching her foot on Roy's and tumbling backward.

She landed on the soft cushion of her bed, Roy landing on top of her. Her breath was caught in her throat as he didn't move. His hand traveled along the side of her face, caressing her neckline. Her eyes fluttered closed as he brought his mouth to hers, taking her lips into a gentle kiss. Riza responded by kissing him back slowly, her mind easily erasing all other thoughts.

Coming back to reality with an unpleasant bump, Riza pulled away from him, gasping for breath. Roy stared at her.

"We can't do this..." she muttered.

"Why not?" he whispered.

"Because..." she replied. "We just can't...it's not right..."

Roy pressed his forehead to hers, resting his hand on her cheek. Her hand traveled up his arm to meet it, grasping it tightly. "Riza," he breathed. "I don't care what anybody else says. Screw the rules. Screw Bradley. Screw everyone who says we can't be together. To me, this _is_ right. I've never felt more right than when I'm with you."

----Riza didn't bother to say anything more to this. She pressed her lips firmly against his and clutched the front of his shirt, pulling him even closer to her. He pulled away from her for less than second, letting her scoot backward on the bed, leaning further into the pillows.

Roy slid up against her, his hands roaming her sides and her back, finally making their way northward. His mouth left hers and moved down the side of her neck, sucking lightly. Riza could hardly believe what was happening to her.

"Roy..." she moaned as he kissed her again, this time begging for further access to her mouth. She gave in to him, tasting the sweetness of his tongue as it massaged her own.

She started as she felt his hands tugging at the bottom of her shirt, trying to free it from the tight confines of her pants. Breathing deeply, she raised her arms above her head as he removed it, revealing her pale, slender body.

His eyes wandered every contour of it. It had been a long time since he'd last seen her like this. He'd missed the beauty of it.

_Riza slipped her shirt of, hesitantly, turning a bright shade of red at being bare in front of Roy Mustang. Carefully, she unhooked her bra, revealing the intricate writing on her back. She could feel his gaze, even though her back was to him. He placed his hand gently against her skin, reading the small words and following the complicated design. She felt a chill run up her spine._

_A sigh came and Roy bowed his head. "I can't do this..." he said. _

"_You don't have a choice..." Riza muttered._

_Roy's eyes were filled with pain and regret. He raised a gloved hand and poised it in front of the tattoo. Before he could snap, he stopped and dropped it to his side._

"_I-I can't..." he said weakly._

"_You must!" Riza said, almost begging for him to continue. Her eyes closed, bracing herself for the searing pain she was about to endure._

Remembering this, Roy felt a strange emotion come over him and he kissed her fiercely. His fingers traced the large burn across the back of her left shoulder tenderly. They traveled upward and released her hair from it's clip.

His lips only millimeters from hers, he breathed slowly. "You're beautiful..." he told her. "I have always thought so..."

His comment tugged at her heart, causing her to take the ends of his shirt and bring it over his head. Gently, he began to press against her. She wasn't sure if her heart had stopped or was beating so fast that she could no longer feel it.

His hands found the fastenings of her pants and paused briefly. Riza nodded, her lips still glued to his. Slowly, he undid them and began to pull them down. Riza felt little goosebumps on her legs as the cold air hit them. There was a 'flump' as he threw the pair of pants across the room.

"My turn," she whispered to him.

The odd sensation in his stomach had returned. She tugged at his pants, almost teasingly. When he couldn't stand it anymore, he took her mouth in his again and took over, removing them quickly and taking his place back atop her.

She giggled as his mouth made little circles down her body, kissing every inch of her skin he could reach. He stopped at her breasts, staring at their fabric prison.

"This has to go..." he said playfully, reaching around her to unhook the back. He'd become skilled at doing so over the years, but decided to take his time, as she seemed to have had fun teasing him. It was his turn.

Once they were free, he couldn't help but gaze at their beauty. He kissed her once again, muttering to her how beautiful he found her. Riza felt that she would never tire of hearing him say that.

She moaned as his mouth encircled the peak of one of her breasts and ran her fingers through his messy hair. She was certain at this point that her heart had stopped completely.

Riza kissed his forehead and pulled him back up to meet her. He whispered her name as she began kissing his neck. His hunger for her had grown almost unbearable and wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to restrain himself.

She gasped sharply as she felt him remove her last article of clothing and begin to roam her lower body. Her back arched as he moved his hand over her center, teasing her gently.

"Oh Roy..." she breathed. "Please..."

It took Riza a few moments to realize that Roy was now entirely naked. Her breathing had become short and shallow and she noticed that she was no longer the only one moaning. Entranced by the sounds, Riza grabbed him and tugged lightly, causing the moaning to grow louder.

"Riza..." he muttered huskily. "Oh God, Riza..."

Her soft hands moved up and down, stroking him lightly. She wanted to learn every line of him. It was as if she was at last getting the chance to solve him. To understand him. To know his passions, and his longings. She could feel him growing harder under her skin. Finally, he urged her to stop. She feared she had done something wrong.

"No," he murmured. "I just..." his eyes were full of longing. "I want to be..."

Riza understood and watched as he poised himself above her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and she gripped the sheets. His eyes locked onto hers before he moved.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Riza nodded, "More than anything..."

Their bodies came together as if they were made to fit. Their hips rolled together in a rhythmic motion, drowning them in heat. Roy felt a burning heat grow in his stomach, while Riza felt her body begin to tense up.

Their motions became faster as Roy kissed her deeply. Riza's nails dug painfully into his arms, but he didn't seem to notice. Her body gave an involuntary shudder.

"Roy..." she gasped. "I think I'm-"

"It's all right..." he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.

She was right. A moment later, the tight feeling in her lower body was released. Her mind went black as she slipped into a moment of pure ecstasy. Roy breathed a sigh of relief. He wanted to make sure she'd reach her climax before he did. It was all about her tonight. He wanted to make up for all the years. He wanted to prove to her how much he loved her.

He reached his own climax a moment later, and Riza nearly climaxed again at the feeling. Weak, yet still flying above the clouds, he rolled over next to her. She pulled him close to her and buried her face in his chest, her breathing finally returning to it's normal pattern.

Roy closed his eyes and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Riza..."

Riza's eyes widened. She'd waited years to hear him say those words. Nearly crying, she kissed his chest gently. "I love you, too, Roy..."

Moments later, they were fast asleep in each others arms. A small black nose peeked through the bedroom door and Black Hayate padded into the room. He stood at the end of the bed, staring up at the two of them. Finally, he leapt on top of the bed and settled between their feet.

And with what would probably have been a sigh of content, Black Hayate fell asleep between the feet of the two people he'd slowly watched fall in love over the past couple weeks.

**A/N:** I hope that was good. I really hope so. It made _me_ happy, though I was like blushing the entire time.

SO, Summary for those who didn't want to read it: In the beginning Alice shows up at headquarters and leaves with Ed. Al gets worried, because he doesn't trust her and then he goes to Riza and talks to her about it. She tells him not to worry about it, but assures him that she'll keep an eye on him. Then, she wonders how Winry is going to react when she finds out Ed's hanging out with this new girl. Then, Riza goes home and she and Roy joke about who's going to make dinner. After that, they go into the living room and he tricks her into believing he can't dance, so she teaches him how to. He steps on her foot and she realizes that he was lying all along, because if he's gone out with so many women, he's bound to have gone dancing at least once. Then, she hits him with a pillow and they chase each other around the apartment and end up falling on the bed. Then la la la la la la lemon lemon lemon...Once that's over, they fall asleep and Black Hayate jumps on the bed and snuggles up between them. The end.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a particularly hard one to write...so...please review and tell me what you think.


	11. The Slip

**DISCLAIMER:** Sadly, I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the related names or titles.

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter for those of you who have been waiting patiently. I personally don't like how this one came out, but hey, I say that about a lot of them. Lol. The next chapter will have more things unravel, which will be pretty fun to write, I've got some really good ideas. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to update, so please bear with me. Thank you so much for being patient.

**Chapter 11: The Slip**

The sun speckled the blue blanket covering Riza's bed. A bird chirped happily outside the window, causing Black Hayate to perk his ears. Riza squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember the dream she'd had.

Roy had kissed her. He had put aside everything and kissed her. Even more stunning, she had kissed him back and let him take over. She let him...

_Ohh, it was so real..._

There was a faint moan and her eyes fluttered open, finally taking in her surroundings. Her arms were locked around him, her bare chest pressed firmly against his. His eyes were closed and his mouth twitched upward in the corners, creating a smirk-like expression.

She watched him as he slept peacefully. Part of her wanted to know if he was dreaming about her.

"Riza..." he whispered, as if he could read her mind.

"Mm?" she pressed her head to his chest.

"You awake?" his eyes remained closed.

"Mhm..." she answered.

"Good..."

His arms pulled her closer to him, burying his face in her hair. He sighed deeply and felt himself drifting back off to sleep. Riza was well on her way to doing the same.

The phone rang shrilly, though they hardly noticed. It rang nearly five times before they acknowledged it.

"Roy..." Riza muttered.

"Mm?" he replied sleepily.

"The phone is ringing..." she told him.

"Yep..." he agreed, nodding slowly.

"Someone should answer it..." she hinted.

Roy understood and he slowly pulled away, bringing the blanket with him. He wrapped it around his waist, leaving Riza naked on the bed. Shivering and now very much awake, she grabbed the sheet and covered herself with it, glaring in Roy's direction.

"Hello?" Roy said, picking up the phone.

"Is Riza Hawkeye there?" a female voice sounded on the other end.

"Yes, she is..." he answered, yawning. "Who may I ask is calling?"

"This is Lieutenant Ross from Eastern Headquarters," the woman replied. "I was wondering why Lieutenant Hawkeye had not arrived at work today."

"Ah, Lieutenant Ross," Roy said, rubbing his eyes. "It's nice to speak to you again."

Riza sat up quickly. She had been listening to him talk and knew that part of him was not remembering that he was in hiding. Unfortunately, that part of him had control at the moment.

"Roy," she hissed. "Hang up the phone!"

"Who is this?" Maria asked.

"Put it down!" Riza continued, though he couldn't seem to hear her. Her eyes searched desperately for her gun. "Put down the phone!"

"Roy Mustang," he answered simply. "Who did you think it was?"

At this point, two things happened. There was a loud gasp on the other end of the line and the phone was ripped from his hand. Riza threw it back onto the reciever and turned to face him.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked loudly.

He stared at her blankly. Slowly, realization began to creep across his face. A strange look of horror penetrated his eyes.

"What did I just do?" he asked.

"I have to get to work!" Riza raced from the room and slid into the bathroom. She emerged from it only moments later, fully dressed. Grabbing her bag, she hurried down the hall.

"Roy, stay here!" she called back to him. "Don't answer the door or the phone. Just stay quiet. I'll be home soon!"

With that, she slammed the door shut, locking it behind her.

xoxox

The halls of headquarters seemed to be filled with everyone other than the person she needed to find. She had to find Lieutenant Ross before she told anyone what she'd heard.

Finally, she turned a corner to see her coming down the hall, appearing quite anxious. Riza slipped into an empty room nearby, waiting for the Lieutenant to walk by.

As Maria appeared in the doorway, Riza grabbed her by the arm and clapped her hand over her mouth. She pulled the officer into the room and closed the door. Maria began to pull out her gun, before realizing who was standing in front of her.

"Lieutenant!" she yelped. "What are you-?"

"Shh!" Riza hushed her. "It doesn't matter. You and I have to talk. You have just uncovered some potentially life-threatening information, Lieutenant."

Maria's eyes widened. "Life-threatening?"

"Yes?" Riza said grimly. "You know as well as I do, that Colonel Mustang is supposed to be dead. Is that correct?"

Maria opened her mouth, but Riza stopped her. "Don't speak. Just shake or nod."

Mariah nodded slowly.

"And you know as well as I do that he is, in fact, very alive. Am I right?"

Maria didn't respond.

"Lieutenant Ross, I order you to answer that question." Riza said fiercely.

Maria nodded hesitantly.

"Good. Then it must be made clear to you how important it is for you to keep your mouth shut. There is someone out there who wants him dead. If word gets around he's still alive, it will be impossible to keep him in hiding."

Maria understood. "But how is this possible? How is he-?"

"That's unimportant," Riza answered shortly, feeling Maria already knew too much. "Just promise me you'll stay quiet. Word must not reach the Führer."

"But-" Maria started.

"That's an order!" Riza repeated.

Maria saluted. "Yes, Ma'am!"

"You're excused," Riza told her.

Without another word, Maria left the room. Riza felt herself fall against the wall. They seemed to be digging themselves a deeper grave.

And if the Homunculi had their way, the grave would be Roy's.

xoxox

"Hey there," Sergeant Brosh said, entering a room. "How are you?"

Maria didn't realize he was talking to her. Her nose was buried inside a book, though her mind seemed to be somewhere else. Brosh stared at the book in confusion. The title appeared to be upside down.

"Lieutenant?" he said, sitting down opposite her. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Huh?" Maria looked up. "Oh, I'm fine. Just working on a report, that's all."

Brosh looked concerned. His voice dropped to a low whisper. "Are you sure? You can tell me anything, Maria. You know that."

Maria only wished she could. She would give anything to be relieved of the burden she had recently been bestowed with. But she had promised. She had been ordered to-

_Wait!_

She'd been ordered to make sure the information didn't reach the Führer. She had, technically, not agreed to anything else. Realizing this, she grabbed his arm and led him from the room. Picking the nearest door, she opened it and threw him inside, quickly joining him.

Unfortunately, she hadn't picked out a room. Her foot knocked a broom to the side as she turned to face him. He smiled jokingly.

"Cozy," he said, his blonde hair sweeping gracefully along the sides of his face.

"Denny..." she said quietly, speaking very fast. "I have to tell you something. I'm not supposed to, but I don't think I'm going to be able to keep this secret. You have to promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Denny grabbed her elbows. "Slow down. What's going on?"

Her breathing became very shallow and showed signs of early hyperventilation. Denny tightened his grip on her, trying to help her calm down.

"I-It's about the C-Colonel," she said.

"The Colonel?" Denny was confused. "What about him?"

"H-He's alive..." she told him.

Denny shook his head. "No, Maria." he said. "No, the Colonel is dead. He's been dead for a while now."

Maria breathed deeply. "No, Denny, you don't understand. I _talked _to him. He's staying with Lieutenant Hawkeye. She made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone."

"But..." he started slowly. "She told you? You talked to them? They both-"

"Yes, they both know I know. Riza panicked when I found out and came to make sure the Führer didn't hear about it." she explained.

None of this was making any sense to him. He was certain that the Colonel had died over three months ago. They had had the ceremony and everything. No one had even made an attempt to find him. How was it possible he would appear out of nowhere months later?

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

Maria nodded.

He fell silent again, still holding her in his arms. A sudden thought struck him. "Why did you tell me?"

"You're the only one I can trust..." Maria admitted. "You're the only one who won't say anything. I know you won't..."

Denny stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. Being a hopeless romantic, he'd always had feelings for her, he knew weren't returned. However, a moment later, she pressed herself against him, clinging to the front of his uniform. He'd never seen her look more vulnerable in his life.

"Don't worry..." he whispered. "I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you..." she sighed. "Thank you..."

xoxox

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Ed's voice called after her as she began to head for the front of the building. "Lieutenant Hawkeye!"

Riza rolled her eyes and turned around. Ed came to a stop in front of her, sounding quite out of breath. She stared at him, expectantly, hoping whatever he was about to tell her would be quick.

"Yes, Edward?" she asked.

"Have you seen Al?" he panted. "I've looked everywhere, but I can't find him. I wondered if he'd been to see you."

Riza shook her head. "I haven't seen him since yesterday morning. He came to talk to me after you left." she told him. "Speaking of which, I need to speak to you about that. Who is this girl you met?"

"Who? Alice?" he asked. "She's new in town. I've been showing her around."

"How did you meet her?" Riza continued, wanting to see how much he really knew about her.

"We just met," Ed answered simply. "She's staying with her grandmother. What's with all the questions?"

"Is it wrong that I'm worried about you?" she asked. "You want to be careful, Edward. Don't tell this girl too much. You never know what she may be planning."

Ed stared at her accusingly. "You sound like the-" he stopped, frowning.

"Who?" Riza urged him to continue.

Ed wasn't sure if he wanted to finish. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to say it. It would be a blow way below the belt.

"Go on," Riza insisted.

"You sound like the Colonel," he said bluntly. "Always butting into my business. Isn't there something else you should be worried about? I know what I'm doing. She's just a girl."

Riza placed her hand on her gun threateningly. Was he trying to say that girls couldn't be dangerous? "I'm only looking out for you. I'm not the only one who's concerned. Al's worried too."

Ed fell quiet. "Well don't be. I'll be fine. I need to go find Al now. Good day, Lieutenant."

Ed moved to walk past her, but she stopped him abruptly. "When did arrive here?"

Ed looked back at her. "What?"

"When did she come to this town?" Riza asked.

"A couple days ago. She's staying with her grandmother and her brothers. Her mother and her father had problems and don't live with them anymore. I didn't want to get into more detail. She seemed pretty shook up by it." he lied.

Before Riza could ask another question, he hurried out the front door. She stared after him, thinking over what he had said. What would a young girl want to do with a young State Alchemist? Alchemists were not considered well liked in the area. They were 'dogs of the military' weren't they? Certainly Ed couldn't talk to her about flowers or theater. Science, absolutely. Romance, most unlikely.

So...what did this girl want with the military?

**A/N:** So, there it is. Have you guys figured it out yet? It really shouldn't be that hard. Lol. Now, how is it going to unravel? How is everything going to play out? Who will side with who? Muahaha, stick around and find out! Please review! I really appreciate it. Thank you sooo much!


	12. Crossing Paths

**DISCLAIMER:** -frowns and mumbles- I don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the characters...-mumble mumble mumble-

**A/N:** HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Since this is officially my favorite holiday, I felt like I should do something to celebrate and update some of my stories. I think I'll be able to update one more. -rubs sore feet- I have been uuberly busy lately with my upcoming show and some auditions and working and stuff, so it's becoming increasingly harder to have frequent updates. It's been killing me, but I'm really trying my best. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but when I got halfway through it, which is actually now the ending of this chapter, I was like: "Wow...this is going to be insanely long" so I decided to break it up into two different chapters. The title kinda stinks, but I couldn't really come up with anything. Other than that, Enjoy!

**Chapter 12: Crossing Paths**

"Then there's Lieutenant Hawkeye," Ed said, leaping down from a rock. He and Alice walked through the woods, talking casually. She seemed interested to hear more about his work. "She's really something. Her best friend died a couple months ago, but she still seems to have the strength to go on..."

"Kind of like you and your Mom," Alice said. Ed had told her everything about his Mother and how he and Al had tried to bring her back.

"Yeah..." Ed frowned. "Only, this one was a little different. He wasn't just her best friend. Everyone knew he wasn't."

"Who was it?" Alice asked curiously. "Did he work with you?"

Ed didn't answer immediately. The Colonel was still a sensitive topic for him. "Yeah," he answered heavily. "The Colonel."

Alice's eyes grew wide. "The Colonel?" she stopped quickly. "I mean, your Colonel? That's terrible. It must have been hard for you. And Lieutenant Hawkwing."

"Hawkeye," he corrected her.

"That's what I said," she said quickly. "Anyways, I'm sorry. That must have been hard for all of you. I hear he was an excellent man."

"You knew who he was?" Ed looked up.

"I-I've heard about him..." she answered, avoiding his gaze. "He's quite famous. The Flame Alchemist, and all..."

Ed wasn't sure how Alice knew all this, for she was an outsider and from the sounds of things, pretty cut off from the rest of the world. Then again, if she was truly interest in Ed, she would have done her research.

"Yeah," Ed said. "Well, it was difficult at first. A lot of us weren't talking much. Lieutenant Hawkeye sort of shut herself up in the office. Only a few people were let in to see her. Then, she came out herself. She went back to her normal self for a while, but every now and then she'd slip and lock herself away again. Al and I were worried, but there wasn't much we could do."

"Were you upset that the Colonel was gone?" Alice asked. "He must have been like a Father to you."

Ed scoffed. "Mustang? A Father? You've got to be kidding me! I'd pity any child of his."

Alice looked stunned. She had been expecting Ed to have had some kind of emotional bond to the deceased Colonel. However, it seemed that Ed was glad he was gone. Her eyes narrowed slowly.

"No," Ed shook his head. "Mustang didn't care about me. All he ever cared about was moving up in the ranks. He never once cared about anyone, but himself. Not even Hawkeye."

"But..." Alice started slowly. "Surely you felt...something."

"Relief," Ed answered shortly. "I couldn't help but feel relieved. He wouldn't be around to-" He stopped, realizing he couldn't hide it anymore. "I feel Guilty," he said. "I feel guilty every single day. Was there anything I could have done? Could I have stopped this from-"

"Ed," Alice cut him off. "There's nothing you could have done. I'm sure that whatever happened, happened for a reason. Don't think this was all your fault."

Ed shook his head. "I don't feel like it's my fault. I just feel like there's something I could have done. As much as I hated him, he always did things for us. Al always told me we would never be where we are today without him, and I never listened to him. But it's true. Without him, we _wouldn't_ be here. I wouldn't be a State Alchemist. I wouldn't know the people I know. I wouldn't have all the information I have today." He paused, staring blankly ahead. "To be completely honest, I would probably be dead."

"Ed..." Alice said tenderly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought up such a sensitive subject. You can ask me about my Father if you want. I've been kind of invasive on your privacy, I suppose it's your turn."

Ed didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to know about her Father. He already knew quite a bit and frankly, it angered him to think about it.

"Well," Alice started anyway, plopping herself down on a rock as if she were planning to read a story. "He actually sounds a lot like your Colonel. Vain, obnoxious, didn't truly ever love the people who cared about him most..."

If he hadn't just said the same thing about Mustang moments before, he would have probably defended him, fore there was a strange jolt in his stomach after hearing the words played back to him.

"My Mother," she frowned slightly, biting her lip. "Well, I don't really know much about my Mother. We never really talked or had the chance to get close. She was never around."

"And your brothers?" Ed asked, sitting next to her.

"Oh," she said. "We don't get along very well. One of my brothers has problems, so he's locked in his room most of the time. My other brother is just a pain in the ass. He truly is. We don't ever get along."

"Do you have any sisters?"

She shook her head. "No. It's just me and my Grandma. I don't think she likes me very much either. Prefers my brothers. I think it's because she doesn't know me very well. It's like she doesn't trust me."

Ed nodded. This would make sense. She did say that her brothers came to live with their grandmother well before she did. But who couldn't trust her?

_I mean, look at her!_ Ed thought. _She's so innocent, it's almost cute._

"Ed," Alice said abruptly.

"Yeah?"

She stared at the ground for a moment. Ed watched patiently, waiting for her response.

"Ed...I want you to meet my family..."

-----

The door to Riza's apartment slammed shut. Black Hayate barked happily as he and Roy appeared at the end of the hall. Riza glanced up at them, smiling weakly.

"Well...?" Roy asked, staring at her expectantly.

Riza dropped her bag. "Things seemed to have quieted down. I don't believe Maria is going to tell anyone about you and to be completely honest, I don't think anyone would believe her if she did."

Roy smirked as he stepped forward, taking her in his arms. "That's not what I was waiting for, but that's certainly nice to know."

Riza wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. His hands rested together behind her back, pulling her closer to him.

"Mmm..." he said, pulling away. "Much more like it..." Riza moved to step away from him, but he caught her by the waist. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I'm going to get out of my uniform," she told him. "Unless you've got a problem with that..."

His eyes glittered mischievously. "Not at all. In fact, I think I'll join you."

Riza took his hand and led him into the bedroom. Slowly, she led it across her breasts, pausing at the buttons. She dropped her own hand, letting him take over. With every button he released, he kissed her lightly on the lips. When the coat fell to the ground, his mouth attacked hers and she pulled him back onto the bed.

"Roy..." Riza whispered against his lips.

"Mm?" he was a bit preoccupied with trying to find the clasps that held her pants in place.

"I love you..."

He stopped and pulled his head away from hers. He loved hearing her say that. The look in her eyes told him that she meant every single syllable in those three words. His hand traced the side of her face.

"I love you, Riza..." he murmured back, kissing her deeply.

His hands began to slide her pants down and Riza giggled. He smirked and stopped to play with the edges of her panties.

"Roy!" she moaned. "Stop that..."

Roy would have continued just in spite of her, but he was certain he had heard something. Faintly, he could have sworn he'd heard a knock at the front door.

Thinking it was merely his imagination, Roy went back to his mission of pant removal. They were almost at her ankles when he heard the sound again.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Riza sat straight up and the two of them stared at each other. They could ignore it, but-

"Who the hell is that?" Roy asked.

"Riza? Are you here?" A female voice leaked through the door.

Riza clapped a hand to her mouth. "Gracia!"

As Riza scrambled off the bed and pulled up her pants, Roy gawked at her. "Gracia? Like, Gracia Gracia? Hughes' wife, Gracia? What is she doing here?"

"I don't know," Riza looked into her mirror and fixed her hair. "We have these routine get-togethers. It was sort of almost like a 'mourning club'. I forgot we had planned to meet today."

"Why do you want me to do?" Roy asked. "She can't see me."

"Stay in here," Riza ordered. The knocking grew louder. "Don't come out. Whatever you do, just don't come out."

"Riza?" Gracia's voice sounded panicky.

"Coming!" she said loudly. She looked back at Roy and dropped her voice to a low whisper. "Promise me, Roy. Promise me you'll stay quiet."

He nodded and kissed her. She hurried out into the hall and opened the door. Gracia Hughes stood on the other side, looking relieved.

"There you are," she said. "I was beginning to worry about you. You never forget our plans."

"I was sleeping," Riza lied. "I'm sorry. Come in."

The two women went into the living room and sat down. Riza kept an eye on her bedroom door for any signs of movement. Gracia didn't seem to notice.

"How was your day?" Riza asked conversationally.

"Not too good," Gracia answered. "I was going through a bunch of old boxes and found all of Maes' old photos. I brought some with me. There were a few of Roy. I thought you might want them."

Riza nodded and took the photos that Gracia had taken from her purse. Slowly, she flipped through them. They seemed to be from ages ago, when Roy and Maes had first started in the military. In every picture, Maes was smiling broadly while Roy looked more cool and relaxed.

"Why is this one cut?" Riza asked, noticing that half of Roy's arm was missing in one of the photos.

"There was another girl in the picture," Gracia told her. "I didn't think you'd want that."

Riza agreed. She didn't want to look at pictures of Roy's ex-girlfriends. Carefully, she placed them down on the table between them and thanked Gracia for bringing them.

"Good thing Elysia wasn't around when I found them," Gracia sighed. "I was crying something terrible. I don't remember the last time I cried that hard."

"Where is Elysia?" Riza asked, finding it odd that the young girl wasn't with her Mother.

"I have someone watching her," Gracia said. "I wasn't sure how long I'd be here, so I called up a neighbor who agreed to watch her until I got back home."

Riza nodded, a strange silence falling between them. Gracia watched Riza with an intense curiosity. She didn't seem to be the same as she was when they last met. Riza hadn't flinched when Gracia said Roy's name. She had made no movement or reaction that would indicate any feelings of suppressed sadness. For some reason, this bothered Gracia.

"So, how have you been lately?" Gracia asked. "We haven't been able to talk in a while. Every time I try to call, you're never home."

"I've been working a lot. I've simply had no time to myself lately," Riza told her. No one could accuse her of lying. She _had_ been working a lot lately and had no time to herself, but that wasn't why she hadn't been answering the phone. She found it too dangerous to talk to people on the phone, even mores so since the Maria incident.

"Have they been working you hard?" Gracia sounded concerned.

Riza shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. I like my work. It keeps my mind off...things."

Gracia nodded. Finally she had gotten to what she wanted to talk about. Finally, they had reached the subject of Roy. "Riza, I don't know if you've heard, but there's something I want to tell you."

Riza was curious. She hadn't heard anything lately. Not that she had actually been looking for gossip, but honestly, everything seemed to be quite calm.

"There's been a rumor flying around," Gracia continued. "A rumor a-about Roy."

Riza swallowed and gripped the edge of her chair. Did Gracia know the truth about Roy? Had Maria slipped and told someone else? Should she run into her bedroom and start packing two suitcases for somewhere very, very far North?

"The rumor is that he's not really dead," Gracia said.

Riza choked. She had been expecting that to be what Gracia was going to tell her, but nothing had prepared her for that to really be it. Gracia laughed harshly.

"I know. Ridiculous, isn't it?" Gracia shook her head. "I just wanted to see if you'd heard anything more about it, like where they're coming from. Who's starting them? Why would someone start something like this? Where is the proof that he's not really dead? Has anyone seen him?"

Riza didn't answer. She didn't know _how _to answer. She could tell the truth, but then their cover would be blown. Their cover they'd worked so hard to keep. Their cover that had seemed to have been foiled at one point, but they had quickly snatched back at the last possible moment.

Then again, it was only Gracia. She had been a close friend of theirs for ages. She had been there for them during their hardest times, and them the same for her. If they couldn't trust her, then who could they trust?

Riza took a deep breath. "Gracia..." she started slowly. "If I told you something, you would promise not to laugh at me right?"

Gracia looked confused. "Of course not," she said. "Why would I do that?"

"Just listen to me," Riza insisted. "You promise not to laugh? You promise not to think I'm insane and freak out, right?"

Gracia stared at her. She already felt as though Riza had gone completely mad. "I-I promise..." she said hesitantly.

"Those rumors..." Riza said, shaking her head slowly. "Those rumors aren't really rumors, Gracia..."

The words didn't seem to sink in. Gracia still stared at Riza, her expression unchanging. Riza glanced up at something over Gracia's shoulder and breathed deeply once again.

"Roy's alive, Gracia..." Riza said.

Gracia's head swung back and forth as if it were on a hinge. "No..." she said. "No, that's not possible. That's...not possible. He can't be..."

"He can be," Riza said, scooting closer to the edge of her chair, looking Gracia straight in the eye. Her friend didn't seem to see her, though the two were staring right at each other. "And he is."

"How do you know?" Gracia asked, her voice beginning to shake.

Riza sighed and looked back up over Gracia's shoulder. Slowly, she looked back at the slightly hysterical woman in front of her, readying herself for what was to come next.

"He's standing right behind you..."

**A/N:** Muahaha! Cliffhanger. Lol. Not really. It's not a really bad one. I've written some pretty mean ones in the past where my life has actually been threatened if I didn't update soon. Let's just say there was another update that afternoon. Don't expect that with this, cause I simply just don't have time to even care. -reads review- "If you do not update soon I will come and kill you and all your..." -shrugs and drifts off to sleep- Lol. To be completely honest, that's what I would probably be like. I don't remember the last time I actually got a good night of sleep. Anyways, I'm going to try and update really soon, but I think it would be good if I actually started to do my homework at home instead of five minutes before class. PLEASE REVIEW! I know I say this everytime, but it bothers me when people read stuff and don't review it. I want to know what others think. Even if you're just talking about the chapter itself, or if you've reviewed fifty million times before. I still want to hear from you. Your words keep me going strong! Thanks a lot! Love you guys!


	13. UnReality

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own FMA. I'm still working on it, but I'm not getting very far, unfortunately.

**A/N:** I am SO sorry for the lack of update. I have seriously had ZERO time for writing lately, because I've been focusing mainly on my drama production of Anything Goes, which came out AMAZING, FYI. I am so uuberly proud of it, but now it's over, so I'm back to my writing and such, which should make you guys happy. The plot is starting to definitely unfold in this chapter. We start to see some real identities, though it brings up some more questions. I had two different endings for this chapter, but I decided to use this one and have the other later on, just because it seemed to fit better that way. Anyways, please enjoy. I know it's not as long as usual, but I still hope you all like it. Please, enjoy!

**Chapter 13: Un-reality**

Gracia stood on one side of the table, still staring in the direction of Roy Mustang. He had explained everything to the best of his ability and she was still staring at him as though she expected something to pass through him.

"Y-You're really here though?" she asked for the fiftieth time. "I mean, you're solid, right?"

Riza stepped over to him and wrapped her arm around his waist, placing her hand on his chest. "He's completely solid."

"And you're sure this is really him?" she asked, sounding a bit skeptical.

Riza nodded, tightening her grip on Roy's waist. Gracia still couldn't seem to wrap her head around everything that was going on. She looked down at the table and shook her head slowly.

"So, you say that he was 'killed' by this...this...Homuncu-whatever?" she asked.

"A Homunculus, right..." Riza said.

"And you believe that M-Maes was killed by one of these Homuncurons?" she continued, not paying attention to Riza.

"We're not sure," Roy spoke up. "We have reason to believe it was a Homunculus, but we don't have any proof that it had anything to do with them."

Gracia looked up quickly. "But then...if it was one of them, then...then Maes must be alive!"

Roy and Riza were startled by Gracia's outburst. They had never expected her to draw that conclusion. The two of them stared at her in horror.

"Yes," Gracia said quickly. "He has to be! If you're alive, then he must be as well, right? Yes, that would make sense wouldn't it?"

Something tightened painfully in Roy's chest, causing his heart to almost stop completely. Riza wasn't sure what to say. Gracia seemed to be holding on to every last bit of hope.

"No..." Roy said solemnly. "I wasn't killed by the Homunculi. I was merely kidnapped. M-Maes was...I saw the...I saw the telephone booth."

Gracia's eyes opened wide in fear. It was as though she had been told of her husband's death for the second time. For a brief moment, she had thought he was truly alive. A weird look penetrated her gaze as she stared at Roy.

Without warning, she launched herself forward, pounding her fists against Roy's chest. Riza found herself thrown backward against the kitchen counter. Roy tried to hold Gracia in an attempt to calm her down.

"It's not fair..." her chest racked with sobs. "It's not fair! He had everything! He had everything to lose! What did you have?! Nothing!"

Roy enclosed his arms around her shoulders, pulling her tight against him. Her words were still fresh in his mind as he felt her hands grip the front of his shirt. She stood there, sobbing for a good while, before Riza pulled her away.

"Gracia," Riza said softly. "Why don't I take you home?"

Gracia shook her head. "No, I'll be fine on my own."

"No," Riza told her. "I'm going with you."

Gracia didn't bother to protest as she was led toward the front door. Riza doubled back into the kitchen to speak to Roy quickly. He was staring absently at the floor and seemed to be convinced he was the only one in the room.

"I'll be back..." she whispered. "Stay here, Roy...please."

Roy didn't say anything. Riza took that as an "okay" and headed back toward the front door. She took Gracia by the arm and two of them started down the hall, neither saying a word. On occasion, Gracia would glance at her or Riza would squeeze her hand in reassurance, but never once was a word spoken.

Riza believed that some of the best conversations she ever had were ones without words.

xoxox

"This is it!" Alice said excitedly, heading toward a large house. "My home sweet home..."

Ed marveled at it's size, but couldn't help but notice how incredibly old it was. He had seen it before, he was certain of it. The strange thing was that he was certain it had always been empty.

"How long has your grandmother lived her?" he asked.

"Ages," she answered, dancing up the front steps. "She's practically as old as the house itself."

Ed nodded, though he didn't say anything. Alice knocked on the door and rocked back and forth on her toes, waiting for someone to come and answer it. Ed thought it was strange that she was knocking on her own front door. Perhaps things had changed since he last had his own house. Perhaps children were supposed to knock before entering.

"Who is it?" a woman's voice asked. It was not at all frail, or old sounding at all. Instead it was rather smooth and calm.

"It's Alice!" Alice said cheerily. "I've brought my friend."

The door opened and Alice hurried inside, dragging Ed along with her. He'd never seen her more excited. She seemed really anxious for him to meet her family, though she had not spoken highly of them before.

"Hello, there..." the woman's voice said again.

Standing in the darkness was a tall, very curvy woman. Her long black hair traveled past her shoulders and her bright eyes flashed in the shadows. Ed was dumbfounded. Who was she? There was no way on Earth this could possibly be Alice's _grandmother_.

"Hi, Gran!" Alice said, running toward the woman.

Ed's eyes grew, if possible, even wider. This _was_ Alice's grandmother. He watched as the two of them hugged each other. He couldn't help but notice it was rather forced on both of their parts.

Alice's grandmother stepped forward, eyeing Ed with keen interest. Once she was in the light he could see distinct white and gray lines in her hair and faint traces of wrinkles donning her pretty face. Other than that, she was entirely perfect.

"Hello, Mr...?" she started.

"Elric," Alice finished hastily. "Edward Elric."

"Ah yes, Mr. Elric," She said. "I've heard of you before. You have quite the reputation."

Ed turned a bright shade of red. "Well..."

"A State Alchemist at such a young age," she continued. "How on Earth did you manage such a feat on your own?"

"I didn't actually-" he said.

"And all of those people you've helped capture," she rambled on. "You're quite the teenager, aren't you? No wonder a young girl like Alice would take a liking to you."

"Gran!" Alice hissed.

"Do you have any other lady friends?" Gran asked, staring hard at Ed.

"Gran, please!" Alice insisted.

"Well..." Ed started. "Not really. There is one..."

Alice looked up, sharply. "Wait, what?"

"My friend, Winry." he told her. "But she's not my girlfriend or anything. She's just my automail mechanic."

"Oh," Alice said, looking a bit relieved.

"Automail mechanic?" Gran asked, eyeing him curiously. "You have automail limbs?"

Ed tapped his metal arm proudly. It clanged loudly and Alice smiled. "I think it's handsome." she said quickly. "Don't you, Gran?"

Gran didn't say anything. She turned abruptly and headed toward what Ed believed was the kitchen. Alice sighed and pulled Ed toward a large staircase. They stopped as a voice sounded from above.

"Edward Elric..."

Ed froze. He was certain he'd heard that voice before. He looked up to see a young boy standing at the top of the staircase. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. His eyes were a strange golden color and a mischievous grin spread widely across his thin face.

"This is my brother," Alice said, glaring slightly as he started toward them down the stairs. "William."

Ed held out his hand, but William merely stared at it, smirking crookedly. "A pleasure, I am sure, Mr. Elric..." he said softly. He didn't shake Ed's hand as he moved past them and headed toward the kitchen. Alice laughed nervously.

"He's not very friendly," she explained. "He usually keeps to himself. Not quite fond of me either."

"How does he know who I am?" Ed asked.

"He's interested in the military," Alice said quickly. "He knows about all of the Alchemists. You're probably his favorite, to be completely honest."

"Really?" Ed glanced back over his shoulder. "He has a funny way of showing it..."

Alice shrugged. "Just ignore him. He's not worth worrying about. Unless you get him angry! You don't want to be around him when he's angry. It's not very pretty."

Ed nodded as they started up the stairs. "I'll keep that in mind..."

_CRASH! THUD! GRROOWWL!_

A strange series of noises came from behind a door as they passed by. The doorknob jiggled dangerously and Alice stood in front of it.

"Hehe..." she said uneasily. "My other brother. He's got issues, remember? He doesn't like strangers. He must have heard the others talking about you coming."

"_M...Alice..._" a low voice growled through it. "_L_..."

Alice laughed loudly and kicked the door. "Later, honey! I'll come in and see you later. I'll bring some games and we can play! How about chess? You like chess right?"

Her voice was incredibly loud as though she were trying to cover up what he was saying. She grabbed Ed's arm and led him down the hall hastily. Behind them, he could hear the growling and the thumping growing more insistent. It sounded as though the room held a creature rather than a human.

"I'm going to show you my room, all right?" she asked.

Ed wasn't sure what to say. He was starting to feel really uneasy about the whole idea. He could hear Al's voice as some horrible conscience in his head. He wondered if his brother had been right all along.

"I want to show you some pictures..." she explained. "They're of my Mother and Father. Perhaps you can give one of the pictures of my Father to the military so they can keep an eye out for him."

"Yeah..." Ed said absently, not really listening to what she was saying. He glanced around at the hall. Was it just him or was the hall getting longer by the second? "You know what, Alice?" he said suddenly. "I just remembered that I'm supposed to meet with Lieutenant Hawkeye about something! I'm sorry. I'm going to be really late."

"What?" Alice asked, turning to see Ed heading back down the hall. "Where are you going?"

"Headquarters." he answered. "Sorry. Urgent business. Unavoidable."

"Ed!" she raced after him. "Ed! Come back!"

He threw the front door open and ran down the nearest street. There was something incredibly wrong with the house. Al was right. Al was always right.

_When am I going to start listening to him?_ he asked himself furiously.

Alice stood in the doorway of the house, gazing out at the retreating figure, a small frown appearing across her lips. He had left in such a hurry. She wondered what had gotten into him.

"Fullmetal leave already?" a taunting voice sounded from behind her.

Alice sighed deeply. "Yes," she answered reluctantly. "But he'll be back..."

"Sure..." William said, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, picking something from underneath his nails. "If you say so..."

"He will..." she insisted.

"What?" Gran's voice loomed over them. "Did he leave?"

"You should have seen him," William said, grinning evilly. "Poor thing looked scared to death. Nearly wet himself. Try and kiss him, did you?"

"Shut up!" Alice shot at him.

"Now, now, you two, what have I said about fighting?" Gran asked, still keeping her calm air. When neither of them answered, she glanced out the front door. "Too bad. He's going to miss dinner. I was just planning on starting it."

"Yeah..." William said, gazing at his nails. "Shame. I was in the mood for pipsqueak..."

xoxox

"Roy?" Riza entered the darkened apartment later that night. She had spent the rest of the afternoon with Gracia. She didn't want her to be alone until Elysia got home from the babysitter's. "Roy, are you awake?"

There was no answer. She removed her coat and headed toward the living room. Black Hayate was curled up on the couch, but there was no sign of Roy. Panicking, Riza threw open the door to her bedroom. Even though it was pitch black, she could tell that he wasn't in there either.

She knocked on the bathroom door and forced it open, but it too was entirely empty. Standing in the main hallway, Riza felt her heart race. Roy was not in the apartment after she had told him specifically not to leave.

Grabbing her jacket, she raced back out into the hall of her apartment building. Thundering down the stairs, she nearly knocked over two other people heading upstairs for the evening. She didn't stop running even once she reached the bottom, nearly causing herself to be thrown in front of a car.

The driver honked at her angrily, though Riza didn't seem to care. Her heels clicked loudly as she tore down the street, glancing into the face of every tall, dark-haired man she saw. None of them even bore a resemblance to Roy.

"ROY!" she screamed. "ROY!"

Knocking several people aside, Riza continued down the street. Many of them pointed and whispered at her as she passed by. She didn't seem to notice them at all.

She headed toward the park where they had spent their day off together in, but it seemed entirely vacant aside from a few people walking their dogs and an occasional beggar. Riza felt the whole world whirl around her. Holding a hand to her head, she tried to regain focus.

Through her blurred vision, she could see someone standing in front of her. A man. It was definitely a man. He stood there for a moment, staring at her. Suddenly, he raced toward her and pulled her into his arms.

"Roy..." she gasped, breathing in the familiar scent of him. "Where did you go?"

He didn't answer. He held her tighter as though he was certain he would lose her. Riza repeated her question, starting to sound fearful.

"It's my fault..." he whispered. "It's all my fault..."

Riza didn't know what he was talking about. "No, it's not. Whatever it is, it's not your fault."

"I could have stopped it," he said. "I could have done something. He'd still be alive..."

Riza froze. Of course. He was talking about Maes. Riza held him closer. "That's not your fault, Roy. You know it isn't. No one could have done anything. None of us knew."

"Then it should have been me, instead..." he continued. "Gracia was right. It should have been me. What did I have to lose? What do I have to live for?"

Riza pulled away slightly and stared at him. "Don't you ever say that. Roy Mustang, listen to me. I never want to hear you speak like that ever again." She pressed her lips to his. "I love you..."

A single tear ran down Roy's face as he kissed her almost pleadingly. Riza brushed it away quickly, drying his eyes. Pressing her forehead against his, she asked him if he wanted to head back home.

"Home..." he whispered. "Yes..."

Home was where he could be himself. Home was where he was safe. Home was where Riza was.

Yes. He wanted to go home.

**A/N:** Okay, so that's the end of this chapter. The next chapter might be more action-packed or mysterious. I haven't quite decided what I want to have happen yet. The plot line of this whole fic has pretty much turned into a plot...blob, cause I don't even know what's going to happen anymore. Most of what's happened so far, I didn't even plan on happening in the first place.

Oh and there are a few little hints to who some people are here and there...so...hopefully you'll catch them. I'll reveal them later on in case you don't, but only once it's completely obvious. (Okay, well, it might already be obvious for some of you...but there may be some who don't know so...SHH!!) You can try and guess who everyone is, but I won't say anything yet.

I plan on updating soon, so keep your eyes peeled. Oh and PLEASE REVIEW!! Thanks! Until next time, Arriverderci!


	14. Danger Lurking Around Every Corner

**DISCLAIMER:** Even after all these months, I still don't own FMA.

**A/N:** I apologize greatly for the long wait for the newest chapter and I apologize even more for the fact that it's not a very long chapter. To be completely honest, I haven't been able to come up with a way to play out the rest of this story so inspiration doesn't come very often. I am hoping the next chapter is longer and will be up soon!! I promise I won't make you wait so long!

So, without further ado! Enjoy!

**Chapter 14: Danger Lurking Around Every Corner**

Roy quickly became a very quiet, reserved person. Sometimes, Riza would come home to the house in utter and complete silence and Roy sitting on the couch, staring off into space. Riza began to worry. Roy no longer resembled the young, charming man he once was. His face had grown gray and his hair messier than before.

"Roy?" Riza said one afternoon, peering into the living room from the kitchen. "Roy, dinner's ready."

Roy didn't move. He continued to star at the same spot on the wall. Riza started toward him.

"Roy, did you hear me?" she asked.

He nodded slowly and stood. She was startled when he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"I love you..." he whispered softly.

That's all he ever seemed to day anymore. She would ask him questions, but all he would do is shake or nod his head in response. Or continue to stare at something Riza couldn't see. The only times she'd hear him speak were when he'd tell her he loved her, or when he bade her good night.

Instead of going into the kitchen, he turned toward the bedroom. Riza followed him. Without changing, Roy flopped down onto the bed. Riza sat down next to him and ran her fingers through his hair. His eyes relaxed shut.

"Roy, please talk to me..." Riza said gently. "Just, please say _something_..."

Roy remained silent. Riza continued to stroke his head. Without warning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down beside him. She rolled over to face him. He had opened his eyes and was now staring at her.

"Please don't look at me like that Roy," she whispered. "It makes me sad. What are you think about?"

He looked away quickly. "It's nothing."

"I don't like seeing you like this," Riza continued. "It's not like you. H-Have I done something?"

Roy's focus locked back onto hers. "Of course not," he insisted. "It's not you. It's...It's everything. I don't want to talk about it."

"You can't just go on like this, Roy..." Riza said, sounding worried. "You're going to kill yourself. It's not healthy."

"I'll be fine," he said, placing his hand on her cheek. "As long as I have you, I'll be absolutely fine."

"But-" Riza started.

Roy moved his fingers to her lips and shushed her. "Don't worry about it..." he said, kissing her gently. "Just trust me on this..."

Riza nodded and kissed him back. His lips traveled from hers, down her neck and along her collarbone. She moaned lightly in his ear and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"I trust you..." she muttered.

Roy held her protectively against his chest and kissed her deeply. His hands roamed her back and her sides, as though he were trying to touch every part of her at the same time. It pleased Riza to know that he never seemed to get tired of touching her. Seeing her in her most intimate form. Loving every single inch of her.

xoxox

"Brother?" Al said, peering into the small library. "Are you here?"

Ed was sitting at a back table, his nose buried deeply into a book. Al walked toward him and sat down. Ed didn't acknowledge the presence of his younger brother.

"Where have you been?" Al asked, breaking the silence.

Ed didn't answer. He pretended to be busy with his book, but Al knew Ed wasn't really reading. He hadn't been able to speak with his brother in a long time. He never seemed to be around anymore and every time he showed up again, he'd go straight to sleep. Al wondered if something had happened with that friend of his.

"Brother?" Al continued, sounding more persistent.

"I've been busy, Al," Ed answered shortly.

"Have you been with that Alice girl?" Al asked, determined to get his brother to keep talking to him.

"No," he said bluntly.

"Have you two had a fight?"

"No."

"Then why haven't you been to-"

"AL!" Ed yelled. "Would you drop it?"

Al stared at him, his eyes glowing brighter than usual. He thought that perhaps his brother really had learned something about that girl. Perhaps she really was something to worry about. Maybe she really did have a secret motive to becoming Ed's friend.

"Sorry..." he muttered. "I'll leave you alone now..."

"Thank you," Ed sighed, looking back at his book, the annoyed look still expressed clearly across his face.

Al didn't move from his seat. "If you want to talk about it, you know where to find me right?"

"Al..." Ed said warningly.

Al stood quickly and headed for the door, pausing only momentarily to look back at his brother. Ed had picked up a new book and was hastily flipping through the pages, an intense crease forming on his forehead.

Al wondered what on Earth Ed could be looking for...

xoxox

Riza slipped out into the hallway of her apartment building around three o'clock the next morning. Her jacket closed tightly around her as she clung to it. She wasn't sure where she was going, but her mind was telling her to go anywhere. Anywhere but that apartment.

She didn't leave Roy a note, for she expected to be back rather soon. She planned to be lying beside him once again when he awoke.

_But what if he wakes up before I get back?_ she thought, stopping abruptly. _What if he panics and comes to look for me?_

Riza shook her head and kept walking.

_No, that won't happen. He'll probably sleep past noon. He needs it. He looks so tied._

She wandered the barren streets thinking over everything that had happened to them. They weren't moving anywhere at all. There were no new leads to the Homunculus who'd kidnapped Roy and therefore, Roy was no closer to becoming a living, breathing person again. At least in the public's eye.

_He may have to change his name..._

Riza didn't like to think like that. If Roy changed his name, their whole life would be secret. They would have to move and break away from the military entirely if they wanted to lead normal lives.

No, Riza couldn't do that Roy. She wouldn't force him out of his dream. They had to get moving. They had to find out who was behind it.

Her pace quickened as her thoughts ran faster and faster through her head. She tried to go over everything Roy had told her and everything she had learned. No matter how hard she tried, none of it seemed to be fitting together. It was a Homunculus they didn't have record of. It was female and the source of it was unknown. Who in their right mind had performed a human transmutation?

Riza tried to change her train of thought. Instead of focusing on the Homunculus, she thought of everything they had together. Everything that had happened between them in the past couple of months. It was strange to think that her body still burned with the hot sensation of Roy's touch. Riza's eyes almost rolled back into her head at the thought of it. Part of her wished she were back in bed, holding him close to her, feeling his breath upon her neck, hearing his heart beat in almost synchronization with hers.

The gate to the park came into view and Riza found herself moving swiftly through it. There wasn't a single soul to be found and the only noises she could hear were the clicking of her shoes and her breathing, so she was frightened when her footsteps were accompanied by another.

The two stopped at the exact moment and Riza didn't dare look up. She had half expected the person to continue walking, but they didn't. She could see a faint shadow in the light coming from above the treetops. The silence was penetrated by the sound of her heart beating faster.

"Well, well, well..." the intruder said. "Who do we have hear?"

The voice was definitely female, and whoever it was, she sounded quite young, though she was attempting to sound older and more intimidating. As much as she failed, Riza was still frightened by her.

"You know," the voice continued. "It's dangerous for someone like you to be out here alone at night. You never know what kind of shady creatures are out..."

Riza nodded and decided to keep walking. It took her a moment to realize she was no longer alone. She stopped once again, still not looking at her companion.

"Why are you following me?" Riza asked, secretly searching her pockets for her gun and cursing herself for not thinking of bringing one beforehand. Then again, who did she expect to come across while walking around at three o'clock in the morning?

"Did you not just hear me?" the woman replied. "It's dangerous out here to be alone. It's better if I come with you."

"I'm going home," Riza said. "It's only a short ways. I'll be fine."

Riza continued on, before the woman could speak again. She had only moved a few feet away when she heard her raise her voice. Riza did all that she could to ignore it, though the woman said something she couldn't quite ignore.

"But you're going the wrong way, Lieutenant..." the woman's voice drawled.

Riza froze suddenly. She could feel the woman's eyes boring into her back. A weird chill went up Riza's spine that she was sure had nothing to do with the cool temperatures of the outdoors at night.

"Your apartment is that way..."

Riza turned slowly. In the faint moonlight, she could see the outline of a young girl. Her long black hair flowed down her back, moving in the slight wind about them. Her eyes glowed as if they were made of some sort of electric bulb, a most peculiar red color. A strange tattoo was drawn across the side of her neck that Riza was certain she had seen somewhere before.

"Silly, Lieutenant..." the girl sneered. "Just like your beloved Colonel..."

Before Riza could move, the ground beneath her began to shake, knocking her aside. Her focus became hazy as she landed hard on the ground. The girl appeared before her, her outline now blurry and hard to make out. She was moving, Riza could see that, but what she was doing was unclear. Something tight and constricting was being bound around her legs. As she felt someone take her hands, a large object came in contact with the side of her head, causing everything around her to fade to black.

**A/N:** OKay, so I know I totally had a Riza knock-out scene in Crossfire, but that's not the point. This is under different circumstances. I suppose that doesn't change the fact that it's a cliffie though, does it? I apologize for that too. They next chapter will be longer, like I said, so it should make up for it...I hope. Please stay interested and PLEASE REVIEW!! Thank you so much!!


	15. Discovering Weaknesses

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Full Metal Alchemist. (Wow...these are getting boring. Gotta come up with something creative.)

**A/N:** Hey there, sorry for the lack of update. Actually, I don't remember when I last updated this, but no matter, not important at the moment. So, here's the next chapter. It was going to be much longer, but I decided to split it into two chapters, because it would have been too long (and I wanted to update tonight...and I have to work first thing tomorrow morning...so I wanna go to bed soon.) So, here's the next chapter. I am filling some requests in this chapter. There is a new character arrival. I was starting to miss them myself, so had to throw them in there. So, enjoy.

**Chapter 15: Discovering Weaknesses**

Riza opened her eyes to find herself behind what seemed to be a set of jagged bars. The room was dimly lit and she could see the faint outline of someone on the other side of the room. They were leaning over a desk, writing furiously, their long black hair streaming down their back, revealing only pasty white skin. Riza shook her head in an attempt to remember all that had happened to her. She couldn't understand what she was doing there, or how she had gotten to this place.

The wall behind her was decorated with crimson stains and long gashes. It appeared as though some rabid animal had once been holed up in the space she now occupied. The putrid smell that came from a lump in the corner didn't help the matter either.

Her companion turned slightly in her chair, reaching for something on the floor. Her head turned just enough to see that Riza had moved. Riza recognized the woman's face, but was not positive where she'd seen her before.

"Ah, Lieutenant," the girl said, getting to her feet. "You've come around. I've been waiting for you."

Riza remained silent. She wasn't sure what her captor was expecting from her, nor did she wish to find out. Something in the back of her head longed for all of this to be a dream.

"You're just as silent as your beloved Colonel," the girl said, moving toward the bars. "Though, he certainly took his time waking up. I almost thought for a moment I'd killed him. And of course," she smirked. "That would have been no help for me. He's no good to me dead."

Riza continued to stare at the girl before her. She spoke as though she had lived for many years, but her appearance was young and she looked no older than Edward. Riza was starting to wonder how a mere child had managed to capture one of the greatest officers in the military.

Then it hit her...

This was the girl Roy had been talking about. The girl before her looked young, because she would always look that way. The girl would never age, nor would she ever die. She wasn't immortal, but she was pretty damn close. She was a Homunculus.

"I know who you are..." Riza said gravely.

The girl smiled. "Really? Well, that's certainly good. You know who I am, and I know who you are, so we can skip over the formalities and get to the point, don't you agree, Lieutenant?"

Again, Riza fell quiet. She didn't know how to respond. The girl paced in front of the bars, as though she were waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Very well," Riza said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "What am I doing here?"

"_You_, my dear Lieutenant," the girl started. "Are here for one reason and one reason only. To bring the Colonel back to me."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Riza snapped. "How am I going to be of any help while I'm behind these bars?"

"I happen to know that you are the one person he cares about most," the girl answered. "If his beloved Riza is missing, then he's obviously going to try and find her. And when a little birdie drops him a hint on where to find her, he'll be there in seconds flat." She snapped her fingers. "And then I'll have him and you'll be free to go."

Riza glared at her. "How do you know that? The Colonel doesn't care about me. I'm his subordinate. I only work for him."

The girl laughed. "Oh please, Lieutenant. Everyone knew. Did you think you could keep it a secret? Even Edward knew about you two."

Riza gaze softened a bit, fear beginning to penetrate her eyes. "How do you know about Edward?"

"You mean he's never mentioned me? I must admit, I'm a little hurt." the girl laughed again. "Oh well, I suppose it doesn't really matter. As long as I still have him eating out of the palm of my hand, anything is within my reach."

"You stay away from him!" Riza snarled. "I swear, if you lay a hand on that boy, I'll-"

"You'll what? Yell at me from your cage?" the girl sneered.

Riza's hand flew to her hip, only to find it completely bare. She looked up in a panic. The girl was now standing in front of a small table, holding up a gun.

"Looking for this?" she asked, examining the pistol. "It's nice. It could come in handy later on, though I'm not quite sure how to use it. I've never cared much for violence," she aimed it at Riza. "But then again, I'm known to have quite the temper."

Riza stared at the barrel, but her heart beat at an unnaturally normal speed for one in this situation. Guns didn't scare her. They never had. For some reason, she had always had a fondness for them and now, to be on the opposite end, had no effect whatsoever.

"You wouldn't shoot me..." Riza said softly.

The girl's grip tightened on the trigger. "Try me..."

Riza shook her head. "You wouldn't. I know you wouldn't. It would be pointless. You'd have no choice but to forget about the Colonel. He'd never come."

She dropped the gun on the table and moved toward the bars. She crouched down to Riza's level and peered at her as though she were some kind of animal in a zoo. Riza suddenly understood why the area she was sitting in was used as torture. The paranoia of being out in the open for all eyes to see would be enough to drive anyone crazy. She began to have doubts whether the blood and the scratches were from any real animal.

Then, she began to wonder. Had Roy made those marks? Had Roy gone insane? Had he once been sitting in the exact spot as she, stared at by this hideous creature in front of him, tormented with a sharp instrument, and nearly driven out of his mind? Riza shuddered at the thought. She couldn't even imagine Roy going through something such as that.

The girl saw the fear and sadness in Riza's eyes and smirked triumphantly. "You understand now, don't you Lieutenant? I'm the one who kidnapped your Colonel. I'm the one who took him from you. I made you all believe he was dead."

Riza avoided the girl's gaze. Her eyes had already given away too much information.

"And it nearly killed you, didn't it?" the girl continued. "You nearly went mad yourself, didn't you? You love him. You love him and you couldn't bear the thought of living the rest of your life without him. That's why you're hiding him from me, isn't that right, Lieutenant?"

"I..." Riza started slowly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"That's not true, Lieutenant," the girl mocked. "You're lying to me..."

"He's dead," Riza said firmly. "Roy-The _Colonel _is dead."

The girl shook her head. "Keep telling yourself that, Lieutenant..." she got to her feet. "Perhaps it'll keep you going. But while you try to decide whether or not Colonel Mustang is among the living, think over this as well. Why do you think I kidnapped the Colonel? Of all people? Why on Earth would I possibly need him...more than you?"

Riza finally looked up and the girl sunk back down in her chair. With a curt smirk, she turned her back to Riza and continued writing in her large black book. Riza didn't understand what the girl had been talking about.

The girl's pen paused only momentarily at the top of her page. Her head turned slightly, as though she were trying to see Riza out of the corner of her eye. There was a strange look that now encompassed those hateful red eyes of the Homunculus.

"Perhaps, one day, I'll explain it to you." she said softly. "Maybe then you'll understand why I did this..."

xoxox

"Riza?" Roy woke the next morning, finding himself alone in the bed. "Riza, where are you?"

He wandered down the short hallway and entered the kitchen, not met by his usual smell of a cooking breakfast. Instead, it too, was empty. Black Hayate followed Roy closely as he scanned the entire apartment for Riza.

"Did she go to work early?" he asked aloud, opening the closet doors.

No, her uniforms were still all there all neatly pressed. She had five of them. He had counted them once when he did laundry. He had nothing better to do at the time.

"Maybe she went to get us something to eat," Roy said to Black Hayate as they headed back into the living room. "I like that idea. Maybe that's where she went."

Making sure he didn't miss anything, he searched the tops of everything for a note she could have possibly left behind. Sitting down on the couch, he sighed. His stomach growled loudly as Black Hayate jumped up to sit next to him. Roy scratched Black Hayate behind the ears as the small dog rest his head on Roy's knee.

"Yeah, I know..." he said. "I hope she comes back soon, too."

xoxox

"Good morning, Lieutenant," a calm voice said quietly. "I hope you slept well."

Riza lifted her head and came face to face with the girl from the night before. Riza had wanted to believe that she had made the entire encounter up, but couldn't help but face the solid evidence before her.

"It's funny," the girl said, moving toward the table that held Riza's gun. "The Colonel didn't sleep a wink the first night he was here. Nor the second. Or even the third. Hell, I don't think he slept for the first month. He watched me all the time. Never once took his eyes off me. I almost wondered for a while if he found me attractive. I wouldn't have doubted it. Roy Mustang, a month without any sexual activity? There must have been some major tension there if you-"

Riza growled inhumanly and the girl looked up, realizing she'd hit a nerve. She grinned evilly.

"Of course, he didn't really. I knew that. He couldn't think of me that way." she said casually. "It just wouldn't have been considered ethical. Oh, it's not the whole human-homunculus thing, or even the age difference. It's something much deeper..."

Riza loved how vague this girl was being. It seemed as though she were trying to drop a hint or two, leaving Riza to try and put all the pieces together and solve the great mystery for herself. It was starting to drive Riza crazy, for none of it seemed to be making any sense to her.

"You're not following me, are you?" the girl asked, looking concerned.

The lack of an actual answer must have been enough for her, for she nodded slowly.

"Yes, I understand." she said. "I guess you're still not ready yet. I'll explain it to you later. But for now, think it over. I'm going out for a walk."

She grabbed her coat and stood by the door. She touched the tattoo on the side of her neck and her appearance quickly melted. Her hair was pulled back into a fashionable style and her clothes were quite young and hip. She actually looked rather cute. Riza stared in awe, having never witnessed something _quite _like that before.

"I'm sorry about leaving you like this," she said, smiling broadly. "But I'm supposed to be meeting Edward, and if I don't leave soon, I'm going to be late..."

xoxox

"I'm glad you could come..." Ed said quietly as he moved through the overgrown trees. "I really needed someone to talk to."

"What about Al?" a girl's voice emerged from the vines behind him. "Have you two gotten into a fight?"

"It's not the same," Ed answered. "I can't really talk to him about this."

He held out his hand and pulled her up on the rock he'd just climbed. She glanced around at the view of the town. She sighed deeply.

"It's beautiful, Ed..." she breathed. Catching herself, she cleared her throat loudly. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Because it's somewhere we can talk without being interrupted," he answered, sitting down hastily. She copied him and sat down, still glancing out at the sight before them.

"A lot has been going on," he said. "I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"That's dangerous," she joked.

He shot her a look and continued. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to think anymore. Everything's all jumbled up inside and it's like, my opinion of things is always changing. I can't ever decide on something."

"Ed..." the girl said slowly. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Ed pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head. "I don't know. I just don't know anymore."

"Well, that's certainly not going to help me," she said. "I didn't come all the way out here just to hear you babble. You said there was something you wanted to tell me, so what is it?"

Ed breathed deeply and looked at the trees far below them. "Was it my fault?" he asked. "Was it because of me that they all died?"

She looked shocked at his sudden question. Whatever she had been expecting, it had been nothing like this. She had hoped it would be something on a happier note. Then again, Ed was never the bearer of good news.

"No, Ed..." she said. "Of course it wasn't. Don't even think that."

"But, what if it was?" he continued. "Even Mom. What if that was my fault too? And Nina. And Hughes. And even..."

"Ed, you had nothing to do with the Colonel's disappearance," she said firmly. "You know that. I don't want you to go and convince yourself it's entirely your fault. If you do, you'll go and do something completely stupid."

Ed fell quiet and refused to look at her. He knew she was right.

"And your Mother was ill," she continued. "There was nothing you could have done, even with Alchemy. I'm not sure who Nina was, but that's all right. I'm sure there was nothing you could have done then either. And Mr. Hughes..." she fell quiet. "Well, Mr. Hughes died protecting the people he loved most. I'm sure he wouldn't have had it any other way."

"But it doesn't change the fact that I had a hand in each of their-" Ed butt in.

"No!" she burst, grabbing his arm. "Listen to me, Edward Elric. That is _not_ your fault. It's not anyone's fault. These things happen. These people put their lives on the line every single day. That's life. Look at my parents, Ed. Look at what happened to them! I used to blame myself, but then..." her eyes left his. "I understood. That's just how life works. Bad things happen to good people and there's nothing you can do about it."

"But, Winry, I could have stopped those bad things from happening!" Ed yelled.

Winry Rockbell stared back at him, looking as though she were ready to smack him. "Ed, if you..." her eyes began to well up. "If you blame yourself...one...more..." _No, I won't cry_, her mind said firmly. _I won't do it. Not in front of him._ "One more time...I swear to God, I will..."

Ed frowned and squeezed Winry's hand gently. He didn't want to see her cry. He hated to see her upset, especially when it had something to do with him. Then he really had no one to blame but himself.

"Winry, I-" he started.

She had fought as hard as she could, but the tears began to stream from her eyes. Ed wasn't sure what he was doing, but he pulled her close to him. She clung tightly to the front of his jacket and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Winry, I'm sorry..." he whispered.

He wasn't sure how long he held her, but it seemed as though neither of them wanted to move. Even after Winry had finished crying, she rested her head against his shoulder and he leaned his head on hers. There was something different about Winry. He could always talk to her, about anything, anything at all. He didn't have to pretend around her. He didn't have to lie.

He didn't have to be afraid.

Unlike Alice. There was something about Alice that bothered him, but then again, Alice showed feelings for Ed that Winry had never openly expressed. It was possible, Alice's feelings for Ed were stronger, but he would never be able to know if it were true.

Sighing, Ed filed that away in the back of his mind as yet another thing to worry about later.

As he pulled Winry closer, he could have sworn he'd heard something move in the forest. Winry started a little and looked up at him and then back toward the trees.

"What is it?" she asked.

Ed stared at a spot he'd thought he'd seen move, but shook his head. "It was nothing. Probably an animal."

The "animal" watched the pair through gleaming red eyes. A dangerous smirk lingered across the lips that appeared below them. They belonged to a beautiful young girl who had heard the entire conversation.

She had never seen the girl accompanying Edward before, but judging by the way he was acting toward her, she was certainly someone very special to him. Chuckling, the girl in the shadows moved away from them, making as little noise as possible, all the while, hatching a new plan in her head.

She knew it all along.

Even the great Edward Elrichad a weakness.

**A/N:** Muahaha, can't you just feel the evil-ness leaking from her? She's terrible isn't she? Anyways, I missed Winry and it seemed as though some of you did as well, so yes, I threw her in there. I am a fan of the Ed/Win pairing, so yes you'll see more of that later. I'm sorry if you don't like it...but it's the only one that seems to make sense to me. I like it. Anyways, please please please review. I still want to hear from you guys and I've been finding it depressing not getting reviews...(cause I haven't been updating.) Lol. Anyways, love you all! Hope to hear from you soon. Ciao, bella!


	16. An Old War Story

**DISCLAIMER:** I still do not own FMA or any of the related titles. If I did, I think you would know by now.

**A/N:** Allright, I'm gonna make this quick and sweet, because I really have to go, but here is the next chapter. I know you've all been waiting oh-so patiently for this, so I thank you. This is a bit more explanatory, and gives you a background to a lovely little Homunculus with a really bad temper. (Warning: Mr. & Mrs. Rockbell's murderer spoiler for those who don't know already...which you should, but hey, for those who don't, this gives it away. Anime murderer, not Manga.)

**Chapter 16: An Old War Story**

"ARGH!" Riza threw all of her weight against the bars, falling to the ground on impact. Regaining herself, she did so several times, causing large bruises to appear on her arms. Angrily, she pounded her fists against them and attempted to wrench them apart. This was all to no avail, for she remained enclosed in her tiny prison.

Riza sank to the floor, looking around for another solution. Bracing herself against the wall, she launched herself forward, feet first, kicking at the bar-wall in front of her. She cracked her head against the ground and flipped backward, landing in a very uncomfortable position. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes as she lay there with her face pressed to the floor.

"I'm never going to get out of here..." she whispered.

It took her a few moments to recover, but she finally pulled herself back into a sitting position. Something on a nearby table caught her eye, giving her yet another idea.

Scooting over to the bars as much as possible, she fished her arm through it and reached out for her gun. Her fingers only grazed the edge of the table, falling about three inches short of the barrel. Pressing herself as far as she could against the bars, she gained herself about another half an inch.

"Come on..." she urged herself. "You can do it..."

She was certain that she would have permanent lines on her body where the bars pressed into her skin, but she didn't seem to care. She almost had the gun, and once she did, she would be able to get out of there. She could use it against the girl and force her to let her go.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Riza gasped and looked up abruptly. The girl had returned and was now staring at Riza with a look of utmost disappointment.

"I thought I could trust you," she said slowly. "And to think, I was only gone for a short while..."

Before Riza could retract her arm, the girl grasped it firmly, bending it in a direction it should probably never go. There was a sharp intake of breath as Riza cringed in pain. The girl seemed to be pleased with the reaction she got.

"That will teach you," she said. "Won't it? You won't be trying to betray me anymore, will you?"

Riza glared at her as the girl released her arm. She held it to her chest protectively, biting her lip to ignore the pain. The girl returned to her desk and stared into a large cracked mirror that appeared behind the several papers she had posted on the wall. Riza jumped as there was a loud crack and the girl's appearance had changed again.

She knew of another Homunculus who could change his appearance, but this girl certainly didn't change herself like that one did. She seemed to find the task more difficult, for she could only change a small portion of herself at a time.

"I'm not sure I can pull off the blonde look," she said absently, looking at herself in the mirror. "Some girls it works for, but I don't think I'm one of them." She looked at Riza's reflection. "What do you think?"

Riza refused to answer. To be completely honest, the girl was right. The blonde color was horrible on her. She looked too pale. Almost unreal.

"Some of us aren't as lucky as others," the girl continued. "It looks good on you. It makes you look pretty." she paused. "You _are_ very pretty, Lieutenant."

Riza didn't know what to say. She couldn't figure out if the girl in front of her was merely trying to get her to trust her, or if she truly meant it. Riza never found herself pretty, though she had hardly the time to worry about it. She didn't seem to think it was an important part of her life.

"Why do you care so much?" Riza asked weakly.

The girl stared at her, blinking slowly. "Because, I do." she said simply. "I wasn't always like this, you know. I used to be beautiful too. I used to have friends. I used to love." her face fell. "I used to live."

"What happened?" Riza continued, trying to get inside this girl's head. Perhaps then, things would make more sense.

"I died..." she said, as though this were the obvious answer.

"But...how?" Riza urged. "I mean, how did you become...one of _them_."

The girl turned in her seat to look at Riza, a strange expression donning her face. She smirked enigmatically, causing a fierce chill to run up her spine.

"Are you sure you want to know, Lieutenant?" she asked.

Riza wasn't sure now. She _had_ wanted to know, but by the way the girl was looking at her, she had the funny feeling it wasn't going to be quite what she was expecting. Slowly, she nodded. She could handle it. Certainly she'd heard worse in her life.

"I suppose it would start a few years back, during the time of the Ishbalan War," she started, donning the voice of one about to tell an interesting story. "I lived in a small village with my grandfather. My parents died when I was young, so I grew up with him. I worked in his shop in my spare time, but as I grew older, I didn't have much time for him. I wanted to be with my friends. I wanted to do fun things. I didn't want to be shut up in a shop all day long, as any normal teenager would feel.

"But my grandfather was old and could do everything by himself. The War had barely started, when he came down with a terrible sickness. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I wasn't allowed out anymore. I devoted all of my time to helping him, but he never showed signs of getting better.

"Then, a pair of doctors came to town. They were a married couple, and were very kind. They visited my grandfather, and did all they could to help, but told me that there was very little they could do. He would not last very long, and all I could do was be there for him until it was time for him to go."

Riza frowned, recognizing the doctors. She knew their story well, as did many who lived during the time of the war. Riza, however, decided to keep her mouth shut and didn't speak more of it.

The girl sighed. "I didn't like waiting around for him. I didn't like people telling me there was nothing I could do. I wanted to help him, but I didn't know how. Then, I heard things around town. People were speaking of these State Alchemists; State Alchemists with ultimate powers. These powers could be used to destroy and create, to heal and to kill. There was one stationed nearby, though no one knew of his exact location. I was determined to find him.

"I came across this man by accident one afternoon. I had witnessed him using a small red stone to set fire to and old building. The red stone was set in a ring that sat upon his left hand. I believed this to be the source of his power."

Riza nodded. The girl was talking about the Philosopher's Stone. She was sure of it. But she didn't understand. How did the military possess these stones? And why were the Alchemists given them to use for destruction?

"When I finally spoke to him, he didn't prove to be as completely heartless as the others had said. They had said the Alchemists only came to our town to destroy it. Perhaps this was true, but there was something different about him. He wanted to help me. He tried. He really did. So when he failed, I wasn't so upset. At least someone had tried to do something.

"After my grandfather died, he helped me bury him, and decided to help me in secret. I was nearly sixteen and didn't even understand why the war was going on. Once he explained, I knew why he couldn't talk to me freely. The Alchemists were not to be trusted, and those who did would be considered traitorous. My life would be in danger."

"And this Alchemist," Riza butt in. "What did he do for you?"

"He moved me around," she said. "He made sure that I was always out of harm's way. He didn't want me to get hurt. He said that he would feel responsible. He said that the idea of it would probably kill him. He didn't like people dying for his sake."

"Nobody usually does," Riza agreed.

"No, they don't." the girl shook her head. "But then, one day, word got out that there had been a terrible murder. The two doctors had been killed by an Alchemist." she shook her head again, glancing down at the floor. "My Alchemist."

Riza didn't believe it. She had had her suspicions already, but this had certainly sealed the deal. There was no denying who her Alchemist had been. But why hadn't he said something before?

"One day, when he finally came back to me," she said, her voice shaking. "I-I confronted him about it. I yelled at him. I screamed. My whole body seemed to shake. Those people had done nothing wrong, and yet he had to go and kill them. It wasn't right. It-It wasn't _fair_! They had a little girl at home. He didn't have the right to-"

"It was an order..." Riza said sharply, though she caught herself. She didn't want to appear to know too much. "I-I'm certain it was. It doesn't make it right, but it doesn't make it entirely his fault."

"That's what he said," she scoffed. "He said that he was ordered to do so, and he promised me that he would never kill again. He didn't want to deal with the pain. Then he made me promise that I would never do anything like that either."

She took a deep, shuddering breath and continued. "But I never promised him. Instead, I ended up running in the other direction. Along the way, I ran straight into this massive street-load massacre. There were officers everywhere, just people screaming, and people dying. I tried to get out of there, but..." she shook her head, as though it were on a hinge. "I couldn't. Everything turned into this massive blur. And then...then it stopped. Everything stopped. I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and then nothing at all. I felt sleepy and fell, right there, in the middle of the road. I fell asleep."

"You were shot," Riza said softly.

"Yes," she nodded. "When I woke up, I was in the middle of a room. I was dazed and confused and-and something was wrong. There was blood everywhere and there was this huge circle drawn around me. I didn't even recognize where I was. But I recognized who was in front of me. The blue uniform gave it away.

"My Alchemist had returned to me. He had brought me back from the dead. Or so...so he thought. Something had been missing in the transmutation. Something had gone wrong. I wasn't who I used to be, and it didn't take him long to figure that out. My eyes were suddenly red. My once beautiful reddish-brown hair was pitch black. My whole body reeked of evil and sin. Even I couldn't stand it. Which was why he tried to do away with me. He tried to kill me again. He said I was much to dangerous to keep around."

"So...he _did_ perform a taboo?" Riza asked, her eyes growing wide. "I thought he said-"

"Yes," the girl answered, cutting her off in mid-sentence. "I suppose he saw it as his only choice, but it was a foolish one at that. Not only could he have seriously hurt himself, if not lost his own life, he created another which was filled with nothing but torture and hate. He hadn't saved me. He had thrown me headfirst into the hell that he had tried to protect me from, and then he forgot about me.

"Well, us Homunculi don't forgive and forget as easily as he did. My true form took as I found the others, as I found the one they called Father. When I told him my story, a strange anger took over me, causing the others to stand back in fear. The name 'Malice' was then bestowed upon me, because of my animosity. My whole life became devoted to revenge. I wanted nothing, but to make his life as devastating as mine was. I wanted him to realize what it meant to feel real pain. What it was to suffer."

"But what if he did understand?" Riza asked. "What if he'd been through just as much, if not more, than what you had? Don't you think you're being a little selfish-"

"SILENCE!" Malice hissed, getting to her feet and pounding her fist onto her desk. "He deserved everything he got while he was here, and you can guarantee that I will not stop hunting him until I have fulfilled my duty. I will not stop until he suffers as much as I have. I will not forgive him, nor will I take pity on him. From now on, I will be even more ruthless. From now on, I will not take prisoners alive. I will kill him some day. You can send him that message."

Riza stared at her. "What do you mean?"

Malice turned her back on Riza and leaned over her desk, breathing quite heavily. Her head suddenly jerked up and she glared at Riza through the mirror. With a sharp wave of her hand, the bars twisted, creating a small gap, just big enough for Riza to fit through. Her gun rose from the table and landed back at it's place in her pocket.

"You're no longer my prisoner," Malice said. "You know the truth now. You know who Mustang really was. What he really did. Now you can return to him. You can make your own decisions about what to do."

Riza stood, still in shock at what had just happened. She had not been expecting this. Why had Malice suddenly changed her mind? This was not like a Homunculus to let an officer go, especially so soon after being abducted.

"I SAID GO!" Malice shouted, pounding her fists once more, causing the whole desk to rattle.

Riza hurried out the door, without another word, stopping shortly in the hall just outside. The door shut loudly behind her, and a moment later, she was certain she heard something shatter inside.

The mirror that one lined the wall, suddenly lay on the floor in pieces, a shaking figure standing above it. Malice's chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared down into the pieces lying on the floor. Suddenly, a single tear landed on one of the shards, creating a liquid magnifying glass, enlarging the Ouroboros tattoo across her neck.

**A/N:** Heh, bet you weren't expecting that. Yeah, well...I would say that I wasn't either, but I was. I wanted that to happen, but I had to come up with the story about Malice off the top of my head. I had an original one, but I've made changes in what I want to have happen, so I had to nix that one. I decided to go with the Anime version of how Winry's parents were killed, instead of the manga, because it seems to make more sense to me. (And plus, I hate working with Scar. He's such a confusing character. I don't really get him.) Anyways, please review. I still love hearing from you guys! I love you all very much, and I will be updating as soon as I get the chance. We're really starting to get toward the climax of the story.


	17. Confrontations

**DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own Full Metal Alchemist. I still really, really, really, really wish I did though.

**A/N:** I'm sorry that it's been so long since I last updated. I've been trying really hard, and frankly, I've had the worst case of writer's block for a really long time now. My Muse is currently...malfunctioning, so to speak. (My Muse is a person, and I haven't talked to that person in a long time. It makes me very sad.) This chapter was extremely hard to write, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

**Chapter 17: Confrontations**

Riza arrived home at nearly midnight that evening. Before entering her apartment, she stood outside the door, a fist and her forehead pressed firmly against it. She did not know what she was going to say to him when she appeared before him again. She did not know how she was going to face him. Not with what she had learned.

The door opened slowly, and she started down the hall. A shadow appeared at the end, staring in her direction. Roy's weary eyes grew wide as he spotted her.

"Riza," he started forward. "I was so-"

Riza stepped backward, her back pushing the door shut behind her. Roy came to an abrupt stop, his face marked with pain and curiosity. She had never acted like this before.

"Riza, where have you been?" he whispered.

She did not answer. Instead, she focused on a dark spot on the floor. Roy started toward her once again, but she stopped him when her eyes shot up.

"Why did you do it?" she asked, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

Roy looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Riza shook her head. "You could have died..."

Roy stared at her, unsure of what to say. She wasn't being clear on what she was talking about. It could have been anything. Surely she wasn't expecting him to read his mind.

"You assured me..." she muttered. "You promised that you'd never...you _could_ never..."

"Never what?" Roy asked forcefully. "Just tell me!"

"And you knew," Riza continued. "You knew it was her all along! You never told me!"

Suddenly, Roy understood. He moved to her side, attempting to take her into his arms. His words were drowned out by her loud protests.

"You knew all along! You knew what you were getting yourself into! And you let me worry! You let me grow sicker and sicker! I gave everything for you!" Riza pounded her fists against his chest. "How could you be so selfish? How could you be so stupid?"

Roy struggled to hold onto her writhing body. "I was young, Riza. I didn't know what I was doing. I had caused a young girl to lose her life. I couldn't live with myself for that. I-"

Riza tore herself from his grasp and moved past him. "She's going to kill you! Don't you understand?"

Roy gaped at her. Riza had been reduced to her most vulnerable form. It bothered him to see her in such a state, especially when it was because of him she felt so.

"She won't..." Roy insisted.

Riza wouldn't hear him. "I won't let you put me through that again! I won't! I won't watch you die, again!"

Roy grabbed Riza by the shoulders, despite her desperate attempts to throw him off. "I won't leave you..." he told her. "I won't let that happen. I assure you..."

Riza gasped, her eyes locked onto his. "Promise me..."

"I promise," he whispered.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You lied to me last time. How am I to believe you now? Give me one good reason why-"

"Because I love you," Roy crushed his lips to hers. Riza tried to pull away, feeling that they still had more to discuss, however, she fell weak as he pulled her closer to him. Her hands were still tangled in the fabric of his shirt.

"Roy," she gasped as his lips left hers only briefly. "Roy, plea-"

His strong arms fastened themselves under her legs, lifting her into the air. She closed her eyes as he dropped her to the bed, his hands ferociously pulling at her clothing, groping the skin as it was exposed. Riza's nails dug into his arms as he thrust himself against her, clinging onto him desperately.

They made love that night as though neither would live another moment longer. They came rather quickly, screaming each others' names. Roy collapsed beside her, his arms still locked around her tightly. Riza pressed her face to his chest, kissing the pink skin gently.

"Don't leave me, Roy..." she whispered.

His head moved ever so slightly. "I never will..."

xoxox

"Edward!" a breathless voice sounded loudly as the door to Ed and Al's room burst open. "Edward!"

Ed looked up to see a young girl closing the door firmly behind her. He was surprised to see Alice standing before him, looking quite frightened. For a moment, he'd forgotten all about what had happened between them.

"Alice," he said awkwardly. "Wh-What's the matter?"

"He-He-" she started desperately. Finding it difficult to finish her sentence, she threw herself at him, burying her face into his shoulder.

Ed patted her shoulder, feeling as though there were something else he should have been doing to help her, but she wasn't giving him any leads. How could he help without knowing what was wrong?

"What happened?" he asked.

"He's back!" she sobbed. "He's found me! He's-"

"Who?" Ed stared at her. "Who's found you?"

"My Father..." she replied, pulling herself away from him.

Ed froze, something jogging his memory back to the first time he'd met Alice. Back to when she'd told him her story.

"_If he ever finds out I'm here...I don't know what he'll do to me..."_

"Have you seen him?" Ed asked. "Has he seen you?"

"No, but he has to know that I'm here!" she said hysterically. "Why else would he be here if he didn't know I was here? He has to know! He has to be out there...looking for me! He has to-"

"Calm down!" Ed tried to hush her.

"Calm down?" Alice's eyes flashed wildly. "This man is going to kill me! Don't you understand?" she grabbed the front of his jacket. "You've got to something! You have to stop him!"

Ed wasn't sure what to do. He didn't know who he was facing, nor did he know how powerful this man was. If he could instill this much fear in this girl, he must be a man of great power. However, Ed had faced much in his past. He was certain this man would not be much of a challenge for him.

"Are you listening to me?" she asked. "You promised you'd help me! Here's your chance! Edward, tell me you're going to help me!"

His face went stern as she turned her red eyes up to him. "Just tell me what you want me to do..."

"You have to-"

"Edward! Are you in there?" there was a sharp knock at the door. Without pausing for an answer, the door opened and a young woman entered the room. She froze, spotting the sight before her. "Ed? What's...what's going on here?"

"Winry!" Ed gasped, turning red.

Alice dropped her hands and turned to the intruder, her expression changing drastically. What had been a look of pure fear and hysteria, had turned to a look of anger and loathing. She knew she was looking at the one person who could certainly get in her way.

"Who's this?" Alice asked, clutching Ed's arm almost pathetically. "Who is this woman?"

Winry looked back and forth from Ed to the young girl on his arm. She could feel a strange emotion overtake her, building up in the very pit of her stomach. She couldn't fight it's escalation, nor could she look away. Instead, she focused on Ed, who seemed to be thinking very quickly.

"Uh that's-"

"Who's she?" Winry asked angrily, glaring in Alice's direction.

"Don't you know?" Alice smirked, still clinging to Ed's arm. "We're _involved_."

No matter how dark Ed's face had turned, it was nowhere near as red as the color Winry's turned to at that moment. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment, Ed would never know, for a moment later, she hurried from the room, leaving Alice looking quite content.

"Winry..." Ed muttered, staring at the closed doorway.

Alice looked back up at him, her eyes growing wide and fearful once again. "So, you're going to help me right? You're going to kill my Father for me, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Ed asked absently, not hearing what she said. "Oh, yeah...Sure."

Burying her face into his chest, she sobbed happily, though no tears fell from her eyes. Instead, an intricate look of satisfaction had woven itself across her face, a strange new glint donning her eyes.

xoxox

"_I'm home..." a quiet voice said, opening the door. "Is anybody-"_

"_Took you long enough," a drawling voice replied._

_Stepping inside, Alice noticed her brother sitting on the edge of the staircase railing. His blonde hair was pulled back into his usual ponytail, a few drags sweeping gracefully along his face._

"_Having too much fun with your lover-boy?" he asked._

"_Shut up," she replied shortly. "I was doing no such thing."_

_He chuckled lightly. "I'm starting to wonder if you actually have feelings for the Elric kid..."_

_Alice glared at him, moving further into the room. "Absolutely not. I couldn't despise a man more." Glancing at her brother, she shrugged. "Then again, in your case, perhaps I could."_

"_With that kind of attitude, how can you be sure he doesn't feel the same way?" he watched her as she moved across the room. "How do you know he's truly faithful? How do you know he's not going to turn on you?_

_Alice tried to ignore him, though this was proving difficult. His voice was not one she could tune out easily. She sighed deeply and turned to him. "If you must know, I've got him wrapped around my little finger. He'll do everything and anything that I ask. I've got a feeling, we'll have our Alchemist soon enough..."_

"_Ha," he jumped down from his perch. "I'll believe it when I see it..."_

"_Then you'd better start believing," Alice said sternly. "He's agreed to help get rid of my dreadful, abusive, psychopathic 'Father'."_

"_He won't go through with it when he sees who your 'Father' is, Alice..." he taunted._

"_I know this, _William_," she continued. "Which is why I'm working on Part 2 of my plan. You see, I've got everything quite figured out. In the end, he won't have any choice."_

"_Oh and how's that?" he asked, mockingly. "Are you going to trick him by confessing your love?"_

"_Would you drop it?!" Alice hissed. "I am NOT in love with him! He's just a stupid little Alchemist. I could care less about him."_

"_Then you know he has a little girlfriend, right?" William pointed out. "That mechanic of his..."_

"_I know," Alice said through gritted teeth._

"_You know," William cocked his head to the side, his voice turning strangely high-pitched. " I suppose I'm not the only one who's good with appearances. You're beginning to look a bit like her."_

"_That's the point!" Alice spat._

"_What's going on in here?" another voice interrupted._

_The two turned to see who had spoken. A young woman appeared in the doorway, glaring at them, though the rest of her face was quite relaxed. She crossed her arms in a leisurely fashion, leaning against the doorframe. _

"_Are you two arguing again?" she asked._

"_Of course not," William answered, moving toward the stairs once again. _

"_Everything's going to plan, perfectly," Alice said, turning to the woman. "He just doesn't think it's going to work."_

"_It better," the woman replied. "You remember our deal, don't you?"_

_Alice's face fell. "Yes."_

"_Good," she replied. "Then you'll kindly remember that everything rides on how this turns out. You're risking it all and there's no turning back now. You understand?"_

_Alice nodded hesitantly. _

"_Very well," the woman said, turning back toward the other room. "I'm off to bed. Perhaps one of you should check on your brother upstairs. I do believe he's getting a bit hungry..."_

**A/N:** Well, there you go. Hopefully, the next update won't be so far away. Things are really going to unravel from here. I thank all of you who have been so faithful so far. You guys are the best. Please REVIEW, as I always ask of you. I would really, really appreciate it. Thank you so much! Ciao for now!


	18. Help Me!

**DISCLAIMER:** Ugh. I've tried and tried, but FMA is still not mine. If anyone has any ideas on how to obtain it, I'll gladly share some of the wealth!

**A/N:** Okay, it's been such a long time, so I'm going to make this intro as short as possible, so you can continue on with the rest of the chapter. This story is coming to a close, very very soon. We're reaching the climax. I expect to get MAYBE, MAYBE five or so more chapters out of it, if I'm lucky. There are still a couple things I want to have happen, so please be patient with me. Please enjoy!

**Chapter 18: Help Me!**

"Edward?"

The door opened slowly and a girl peeked into the Elric boys' room. It took her a moment to notice the minute blonde sleeping peacefully on his bed. Slowly, she moved to his side, sitting gently at the end of his feet. Her hand rest gently upon her knee as she stared at him.

She decided not to wake him, as she looked him over in his entirety. He had grown so much, in so little time that she could hardly believe it. In the small part of his stomach that was no longer covered by his shirt, she could see the defined outlines of his abdominal muscles. Reaching out her hand, she longed to trace them with her fingers, but decided against it. Instead, she pulled his shirt down to cover them.

"You're going to make yourself sick someday, Edward..." she muttered. "Al always tells you not to sleep with your stomach out..."

She nearly jumped as he sighed deeply in his sleep, his head lolling to the other side. A faint smile danced across her lips as her eyes followed the gentle sweep of his hair as it splayed across his forehead. His braid had come undone and merely hung limply about his shoulders.

If she were to do anything, he would never know. He was too heavy a sleeper to notice that she was even there. She could slip out quickly if he showed signs of waking. But it would certainly take a lot of nerve on her part to do what she was thinking of doing. It could ruin their entire friendship if he were to wake up, as she...

Hesitantly, she leaned closer to him, almost lying parallel to his body. Her hand landed gently on his chest as she placed her ear to his heart. The slow and steady drumbeat nearly lulled her to sleep as she listened.

Breathing deeply, she turned up her chin, staring intensely at the small puckered lips that were perfectly placed just below his pointed nose. Her fingers traveled up his chest, landing softly on his cheek, causing him to twitch lightly.

"Oh, Edward," she breathed.

Closing her lips, she placed them tenderly upon his. At first, his eyes twitched, though she hardly noticed. As his lips parted, kissing her back gently, she felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders. She fought the urge to open her eyes, for part of her felt it were a dream that she could easily wake up from.

Their faces fell apart, though their lips still lingered close, as though Edward wished to keep her near if he longed to kiss her once again.

"Winry..." he whispered, staring up at her, realizing his eyes had not been deceiving him.

She nodded shortly, bringing her mouth to his, running her fingers through his blonde hair. His hands roamed her back as he pulled her on top of him. It took her a moment to realize her position before pulling away.

"Edward...we can't..." she told him, her voice rising barely above a whisper.

He stared at her, looking confused. "Wh-"

"We can't..." she sat up, pulling him along with her, though she was still sitting on his lap. The cold metal seared along the side of her leg, sending a strange chill up her spine.

"Winry, I-" Ed began.

"No," she said, knowing that if she allowed him to speak, she'd give in to his charm, and wouldn't be able to be held responsible for her actions. "You're with that other girl, Ed..." she explained. "I shouldn't have done this. We shouldn't be here, doing this, right now."

Ed opened his mouth to retort, but Winry covered it with her own, kissing him deeply. He felt a strange sensation in his lower stomach as he felt her tongue slip into his mouth. Winry kept talking about how they shouldn't be doing what they were doing, and yet, she continued to go against her word.

She stood abruptly, causing Ed to fall backward on the bed. Without another word, she left the room hastily, leaving Ed to himself. He stared after her, feeling as though all of what had just happened was nothing but a great blur to him.

He wanted Winry. He'd always wanted Winry. Even since they were little, he always wanted to marry her, even though he'd deny it every time Al would bring it up. He'd never had the opportunity to really get close to anyone like he did Winry, and their constant separation made him long for that closeness with every fiber of his being.

Alice had wanted to get closer to Ed, but there was always this barrier between them. A part of her that was a complete mystery to him, a part of her he'd never understand. A part of her that she kept closed off.

Deep down, Ed didn't even desire to know that part of Alice. His curiosity had died down with recent events. Instead, a new curiosity had been piqued. A new curiosity that had started only moments before, when Winry had pinned him to the bed.

Sighing, he stared at the ceiling, an vicious argument starting in his head over what he was to do next.

xoxox

"There you are!" Al said, bumping into Ed as he rounded the corner. Ed fell backward, rubbing his head where he'd run into Al's hard armor. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you."

"I've been busy, Al..." he replied bitterly, still rubbing his sore spot.

"Oh, well, Lieutenant Hawkeye said that she would like to see you in her-" Al started.

"Edward!"

Ed jumped at the sound of someone calling his name. He thought the voice sounded familiar and thought, for one brief moment, that it could Winry coming back to confess her love for-

"Ed! There you are!" a girl came rushing toward him, pushing her way past Al. "You have to come with me! I'm in danger! You have to do something!"

"Winry?" Al asked, staring at the girl in front of him.

Ed blinked, a bit confused at first. The girl before him was quite tall, taller than him at least, though that wasn't saying much. Her hair was a golden blonde, and pulled back into a tight ponytail. She wore a bright sundress, he was certain he'd seen before. It seemed as though this girl before him truly was Winry. However, her voice was low and frightened, not at all the gentle sweet tone of his automail mechanic.

"Winry?" the girl turned around to face Al. "My name is Alice."

Ed almost did a double take. The girl before him looked nothing like Alice. She'd dyed her hair and done something to it to make it thinner. Her eyes had changed too, though it took Ed a moment to notice. They were a darker shade, more so brown than the red of before.

"Alice, what is-"

"Ed," she turned back to him. "Do you mind if we go somewhere to be alone?"

"But Brother," Al piped up. "Miss Hawkeye said that she needed to see you in her office immediately!"

Alice turned, staring at Al in curiosity. Ed looked torn between the two who were calling to him. He wanted to see what Lieutenant Hawkeye had to tell him, for he was not one to ignore her orders, but Alice looked like she desperately needed him.

"He'll meet with her later," Alice answered sharply.

Ed was stunned that this girl dared answer for him. Al stared at each of them in turn, his eyes glowing bright with suspicion.

"Brother, I-"

"Please tell her, Al..." Ed interrupted. "I'll meet with her later."

"But, Brother-"

"Please, Al," Ed glared at him.

Taking the hint, Al turned abruptly and started in the direction of Hawkeye's office. Alice grabbed Ed's arm and led him to the nearest room. She closed the door tightly.

"He's found me," she said quietly. "My Father's found me. He's planning on coming after me. He's going to kill me, Edward. You need to help me."

Ed's eyes narrowed. "How do you know this?"

"What do you mean, how do I know?" Alice asked, sounding angry. "I saw him! He saw me! He knows I'm here! He's going to try and kill me! Do you not care? Do you _want_ him to kill me?"

"No!" Ed answered hastily. "I...I think I should talk to someone else. Perhaps Lieutenant Hawkeye could-"

"No!" Alice said, a little too quickly. "She can't be involved!"

Ed blinked at her slowly. "Why no-"

"No," she repeated. "Leave everyone else out of this. The less people involved the better. I'd rather not have people get hurt because of me. I've come to you, because I know you can handle it. You're stronger than I am, Edward. I know you can stop him. You can save me." Alice placed her hand on his cheek. "You can protect me from him. You can stop my pain!"

He felt as though he were staring into the face of his best friend. It was strange and uncanny how alike she and Winry suddenly looked. He wondered why Alice had made the sudden change in her appearance.

"Edward!" she said sharply. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yes!" He said. "Yes...I'll help you. I-I just need some time to prepare, that's all."

"We don't _have_ time, Edward!" she bawled. "He's going to kill me! Does that not get through to you? I will be dead if you don't come with me _right now_!"

"You know where he is?" Ed asked, feeling as though this should have been information revealed earlier.

"Yes. I told you," she glared at him. "I saw him! He spoke to me! He threatened me! I'm supposed to meet up with him! We have to surprise him!"

"You just want me to..." Ed was trying to clear things up. "You just want me to attack him from behind?"

"Yes!" Alice nodded vigorously. "Something! Anything! _Please_!"

Alice's eyes were impossible to resist. As they began to water, Ed drew her into his arms. It wasn't the same as holding Winry in his arms, but he could feel her grow calm beneath her touch. Perhaps he would be able to get close to Alice like he did Winry. Perhaps there was hope for someone new.

"Oh Edward," Alice breathed into his neck. "I am so lucky to have found you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Ed frowned, carefully patting her on the back. He wished he had time to speak to Lieutenant Hawkeye. He wished he could get some kind of backup in time.

He wished he could forget that any of this ever happened.

xoxox

"Roy..." Riza's voice was quiet as she peered into the bedroom. Roy was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall absently. "Are you feeling alright?"

He didn't answer her as she deftly moved to his side, resting her hand on his shoulder. She repeated her question, still receiving no answer.

"Roy, please don't do this again..." she muttered.

"I have to go after her, Riza..." he said softly.

"What?" Riza stared at him. "You've got to be kidding."

He shook his head. "No. I have to go after her. I have no choice." He looked up at her. "I have to stop her before she hurts anyone else."

Riza couldn't believe what he was saying. He could be killed! There was no way she was going to let him put her through that kind of pain again. "You can't!" she insisted. "I won't let you! She'll expose you! She'll kill you, if she has to."

"I'm willing to risk it," he answered coolly.

"Maybe _you _are," she said, her voice on the edge of anger. "But I'm not. Roy, we've been over this. I don't want to lose you ag-"

"You won't lose me, Riza..." he insisted, taking her hands in his. "You promised that you would always have my back, so this is my promise to you. If we get out of this-"

"Oh God, Roy..." she sighed, pulling her hands from his. "Please don't go into some sappy hero-speech. It's not becoming of you."

He stared at her, blinking slowly, thinking over what she had said, and coming up with something clever to say back. "Well, I have nothing else prepared so..." He frowned. "You don't understand, Riza. If I don't do this, other people will get hurt and it will be all my fault. I have to stop it. That's what I do. I'm an Alchemist. 'For the people', remember? I'm doing this, for the people."

Riza shook her head. "No, you're not."

"How the hell do you know?" Roy asked, sounding a bit angry himself.

"Roy, I know you." she said, staring into his eyes. "You do _nothing_, for the sake of the people. Everything you do, you do for a reason, and a personal reason for that matter. Take Hughes, for instance..."

Roy's face glazed over as he stared back at her. He couldn't believe that she would use him as an example in this situation, but unfortunately, she was right in that sense. He had the tendency to do things for personal gain, and only personal gain. If it didn't benefit him in some way, why bother risking it all?

"I'm right, aren't I?" she asked, still staring at him, unblinkingly.

He tore his gaze from hers and rose to his feet. Slowly, he walked into the living room and stood before the window, once more, facing the bustling world below them. Riza followed him, stopping short about three feet behind him.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Riza asked, inspecting his back carefully.

"You know what I'm going to do," he answered curtly.

Riza nodded, though he couldn't see her. "I assumed as much..."

"And Lieutenant?" he continued.

She looked up. It had been ages since he'd heard the word uttered from his mouth. "Yes, sir?" she asked.

"You know what I'm going to ask you to do?"

She didn't answer immediately, but nodded once more. "Of course, sir."

"And will you consent to do so?" he continued, breathing deeply, feeling her eyes boring into his back.

"Absolutely," she answered, not missing a beat. "I promised, didn't I?"

He nodded, turning back toward her. Roy pulled a pair of gloves out of his pocket. They were newly stitched and washed, giving off a crisp sheen.

"Thought I ought to go prepared..." he said, smirking.

Riza nodded and retrieved the gun that sat on a stand beside the couch. Turning to him, she slid it into her pocket and sighed heavily, waiting for his next move.

When he headed for the door, Riza did as she had promised so very, very long ago...

She followed him.

**A/N:** So, there it is. The next chapter should be full of revelations and all that good ending "OMIGODS" kind of stuff. Until then, which hopefully won't be very long, please review so I know you all still want to know what happens next. Thank you so very very much. I love you all!


	19. You!

**DISCLAIMER:** ...-stares blankly- As if I have to say it again...

**A/N:** OMG! -bows- I am SO SORRY for taking so long to update. I have been SO busy lately, and have had almost NO time to work on this story at all! I could apologize all day, seriously. I felt so horrible for making you all wait. So, I'll cut this A/N short so you can get to reading. I'm sorry again!

**Chapter 19: You!**

The lights along the street seemed to give off an eerie glow, the light fog of the oncoming night only adding to the mood. Alice grasped Ed's hand tightly as she led him forward, her free hand clamped to his arm.

"Ed..." she said quietly. "Ed, I'm scared."

Ed didn't look at her. As if she were scared. Once they got there, she would probably sit back and watch as Ed did all the work. She had nothing to worry about.

"Ed..." she muttered, gripping his arm tighter. "Ed..."

"It'll be fine..." he said, feeling slightly annoyed. He was more than willing to help her, but he was certain she was blowing this entirely out of proportion.

"It's over here," she directed, the nervous tone wavering for a moment.

Ed looked up to see that they were facing a large empty building. He found it strange that every time he ever faced someone, it seemed to be in some sort of large vacant building. He wondered if it was written somewhere that all villains must reside in some sort of large warehouse.

"Alice, maybe you should stay here..." Ed said, trying to pry his arm from her vice-grip.

"Why?" her nails dug into the soft flesh of his real arm. "You don't want me to help you?"

"It's not that, it's just..." Ed looked around, fishing for some kind of answer. "It might be dangerous having you here. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't get hurt," Alice said, her eyes shining. "I promise. I want to see what happens."

As demented as Ed found it that Alice would want to watch the possible murder of her Father, he allowed her to follow him into the building. The first room was vast, with several adjoining staircases leading to upper levels. Aside from the staircases, the room was rather empty, leading him to believe the place had not been inhabited in years.

"Hello?" Ed called out, finding nothing else to say.

There was no response. Stepping forward, Ed felt Alice's arm slip from his. She stayed in her place by the doorway, looking around quite frightened.

"You can leave if you want..." Ed pointed out, turning back to see her.

She shook her head. "I'm fine."

Ed took a few more steps forward, stepping toward the largest and grandest of the staircases. Standing at the bottom of it, he placed his hand on the banister and peered up to the next floor, though the darkness hindered his vision.

"Hello?" He called again.

When the only response was the sound of his own voice calling back at him, he sighed and turned back to Alice. She seemed to be staring in the same direction.

"There's no one here," he said pointedly.

"No..." Alice replied softly, her eyes growing wide. "Someone is here."

"But Alice, there-"

"They're upstairs..." she told him. "They're waiting for us."

Ed stared at her. Something in her voice had changed. It was no longer innocent and sweet, but low and mystical. Dark and sinister, even. As though she knew there was something more waiting for them than expected.

Without another word, Ed slowly started up the staircase. Moments later, Alice came sprinting up beside him, resuming her grasp on his arm. As they reached the next floor, Ed took another good look around. If it were possible, this floor was even darker than the first, and resembled the great living room of a mansion; nothing like the first floor had been. After closely examining it, he could have sworn he'd seen a house with the same kind of interior before.

"What is this place?" Ed asked, feeling rather confused. He'd never seen a more bizarre array of rooms before. He was certain that every one would have a different theme, as though to represent a different time or place.

Before Alice could answer, another voice spoke from the darkness. "Ah good," it said. "You're both here. We were starting to wonder if you were going to show..."

xoxox

"Where is this place, Roy?" Riza asked as she sat behind the wheel of the military car she'd used so often in their excursions.

"I'm not sure," he said briefly. "Just drive forward."

Riza didn't understand. If he didn't know where they were going, how on earth were they going to get there, and more importantly, how were they going to get there on time? Before she could ask these questions, Roy glanced out the window, speaking quietly.

"I know generally where it is," he said. "It's just been a long time since I've been there..."

Riza nodded and gripped the wheel, praying to herself that Roy knew what he was doing. He was taking a mighty risk coming out of hiding like this. If someone were to see him, even in a passing vehicle, it could cause them more trouble than intended.

"How do you know she'll be there?" Riza asked, trying to focus on something other than the people walking along the sidewalks.

Roy didn't answer. Riza glanced at him.

"Roy..."

"I just know..." he said bluntly.

Riza pulled the car over hastily, narrowly avoiding a mailbox. Angrily, she turned to him.

"I refuse to go further until you explain to me what's going on."

Roy glanced at her. "I just know she's going to be there, alright?" he said. "Now drive."

"Did you speak to her?"

Roy remained silent.

"Roy Mustang. Did. You. Speak. To. Her?" She stressed each word of her sentence, her eyes more piercing than ever.

"Lieutenant, I order you to drive," Roy said, still avoiding his gaze.

Riza sat back in her seat, crossing her arms. "I don't work for you anymore, Roy. As far as I'm concerned, you've been taken from the ranks."

As much as this reality came as a serious blow to Roy, he did his best to brush it off. Seriously, he looked at her and nodded toward the steering wheel.

"Drive, Lieutenant..." he said. "And then I'll tell you what happened."

Though she didn't believe him, she carefully pulled the car back out onto the street, and started off at a slow pace. Roy continued to stare out the window for several long moments before deciding to speak.

"I received a letter from her today..." he explained. "I'm not sure how it got there, but it was from her. She said that she was tired of playing this game of 'Cat and Mouse' and decided that we needed to settle this. She gave me the time and location, a _thoughtful_ farewell, and that was all." He glanced back at Riza. "I did not speak to her."

"How do you know she's the one who sent it?" Riza asked. "She is a Homunculus after all. How do you know you're not being set up?"

Roy shook his head. "She would never bring them into this. She works alone."

Riza raised an eyebrow and peered over at him.

"She talked about it a lot while I was there..." he continued. "How they didn't accept her as one of their own. How she was going to do everything in her power to get them to fear her." he shook his head. "They would never work alongside her."

That made sense to Riza. She could certainly see her anger toward the other Homunculi, as well as her anger toward being one of them herself. She wondered why she would want to be considered one of them as a group, when she didn't accept the fact that she was equal to them to begin with.

Perhaps, it was so she would no longer feel so lonely.

Frowning, Riza shook her head. She didn't want to feel bad for this girl. Not after everything she'd done to them. She'd caused the military to lose one of it's best Colonels, making her and the rest of the world believe he was dead, then to kidnap her and put her through the same ordeal.

No sir, she would not let herself feel bad for this girl. Not as long as there was breath in her body.

It was as though Roy could read Riza's thoughts, as he nodded in agreement. "I thought the same thing when this all started. I felt horrible for her. For everything I'd caused her. For everything I'd done..." his voice drifted off. "But then...I didn't feel that way anymore. As selfish as it sounded, all I could think about was myself. Getting me out of that place. There was no hope for her. She was dead, and there was nothing I, or anybody, could do about it. As for me...

"I had a life. I had people to come home to. There were people who cared about me, despite how much they probably shouldn't have. There were things I still had to do and say. Things I had to tell people, that I'd forgotten to do before..." he finally looked at Riza full on. "I wanted to see you again."

Riza didn't care how terribly cliché he sounded at the moment, nor did she care that she was still driving. She leaned over and gently brushed her lips across his.

Focusing back on the road, Riza smiled to herself, glad that she had him back. Glad that he truly wasn't dead in a ditch somewhere, killed by some unknown beast. Glad that she never had to actually fill out the death report.

Glad that he wanted her, just as much as she wanted him. It would be enough to get them through anything for the time being. She knew it would be. They would have no problem-

"THERE!" Roy pointed out the window, recognizing the building. "It's right there. Pull over, Lieutenant!"

Riza felt a wave of nostalgia crash over her as he addressed her by her title. Pulling over, she smiled at him, holding the butt of her gun as they exited the vehicle. She could feel her pulse quicke

Once again, the golden team was prepared to face the worst, fighting side by side.

xoxox

A woman appeared from the darkness. It took Ed a moment to place her, but he soon realized it was Alice's grandmother. She started toward them, looking quite solemn. Standing behind her was the blonde boy Alice had introduced at her brother, William.

"What are they doing here?" Ed asked, eyeing the suspiciously.

"I should have explained earlier," Alice said, taking a few steps toward her Grandmother. "They're here to help as well. You see, when you're helping me, you're helping them." She pouted. "They don't like my Father either."

William chuckled, but caught the glare from Alice and merely frowned, staring at the floor. Ed didn't seem to notice as he looked around the room for signs of any other visitors. For some reason, he felt outnumbered.

"Ed, they want to help all that they can. They want to make sure that this is conducted properly. They know what he's like," Alice explained. "You don't have a problem with that, do you?"

"What kind of person am I facing, exactly?" Ed asked, wondering why he'd never brought it up before.

"A monster," Alice answered, her eyes flashing dangerously. "He'd destroy life as easily as he created it. He cares about no one but himself, and eliminates all that get in his way. He must be destroyed."

Ed was starting to wonder if this person were even human. He wouldn't be surprised if it were a Homunculus to enter the room moments later. Though, in this case, he would have preferred the Homunculus, for he'd know how to fight it.

"You see why we need your help?" Alice asked, stepping toward him, her eyes growing wide and fearful. "It is only you, Edward, who has the strength to defeat him. The power. The drive. You are the one Alchemist with enough power to bring him to his knees." Ed felt like he was being hypnotized, her eyes hard to stray from. "You must play God, Edward. Just for this once. Undo the wrong that this man has done."

Ed wasn't even aware of what Alice was saying anymore. His mind seemed to be completely fogging over, nothing penetrating it but the red of her eyes.

Ed shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind, only to find that the fog came back, if possible, even thicker than before. His mind swam with the words that Alice had just spoken. Her pleading tone, and her quivering voice. It was enough to drive him mad.

He had to protect her. He couldn't live with himself, hearing that voice play like a broken record in the back of his mind.

"Good boy," her Grandmother said, crossing her arms and staring at Ed. "I do believe you'll be ready for this..."

Somewhere below them, a door opened and the sound of hushed voices drifted up the stairs. Ed turned to watch the stairs, knowing that someone would be ascending them soon. The others in the room held their breath, drowning the room in silence.

They waited for several minutes, with no sign of an intruder. Whoever had entered the building had obviously chosen a different route than the one Ed had followed. The silence of the room was only broken by a sudden gasp, when a door opened on the other side.

"Fullmetal!"

"Edward!"

Ed whipped around, his eyes growing wide as he recognized the newcomers.

"_You!_"

**A/N:** Hehe, sorry again. It's a cliffie, but I didn't want to get any further today. I'm expecting to have...maybe 4 more chapters. Maybe. I'm so glad you've all followed this for so long. You have no idea how much it means to me to have so much support. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. If you don't entirely hate me for making you wait so long, would you please review, letting me know what you think? Thank you so much. -bows again-


	20. Hello Daddy

**DISCLAIMER:** Yeah, no. None of it's mine. With the exception of Alice/Malice.

**A/N:** I am sooo sorry for taking so long to update. In the past couple of weeks I have had the SATs and two AP tests, along with missing so much school because of rehearsals and such. I have a list two pages long of make-up work that I have to do. It's absolutely crazy. I've just had absolutely no time to write lately, so these chapters have been coming along slowly.  
Oh, and my favorite group ever came to my school to sing this week and I got to help open for them, so I was soooo excited. I doubt it, but if any of you have heard of Four Shadow, you're officially amazing. They came and sang and I am still smiling about it. They're so incredible. And I got to hang with them and sing for them and stuff, yeah it was awesome, but required so much rehearsing and stuff, which also helped hinder my writing.  
But that doesn't matter anymore, because here is this chapter. It's here and finished, and I hope you like it.

**Chapter 20: Hello Daddy**

"Edward!" Riza said skeptically, staring at the boy before her. "What are you doing here?"

"I-" he was confused, to be entirely honest. He hardly noticed the Lieutenant at all as his eyes were locked onto the dark haired man standing to her right.

"Don't be distracted, Edward," Alice hummed into his ear. "Remember what you're here for! You promised me, Edward. You promised-"

"What's going on here?" he asked sharply, brushing her off.

"I'll explain later," Roy said brusquely. "Just get out of here, Fullmetal!"

"Why should I?" Ed snarled, his hands curling into fists. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"

"Fullmetal!" Roy's eyes flashed in anger.

"You're supposed to be d-" Ed started.

"Edward, please," Alice gripped his shoulder tightly, pulling him back toward her, whispering furiously into his ear. "You don't understand, do you? Do you know who this man is?"

"Yeah, that's-"

"Your Colonel is dead, Edward." Alice said shortly, staring at him, her red eyes boring into his own. "Don't let him fool you. For all you know, he could be a Homunculus..."

Ed's eyes grew wide as he stared back at her, "How do you know about-"

"I've done my research, Edward," she explained. "My Father was very interested in learning alchemy and all of it's secrets. He grew too powerful to be stopped..." She glanced back at the new arrivals. "The results stand before us."

"But they-" Ed still didn't understand what was going on. It seemed like the whole room was spinning around him, a thousand voices trying to make their own point in his head.

Alice shook her head. "That's not them," she told him. "That's not who you think it is. This is all a terrible illusion. My Father is gifted with these."

Ed tried to make sense of it all, however reached nothing but dead ends. The First Lieutenant and Colonel that stood before him were flawless, down to the very way they held themselves as they glared at him. But, the Colonel was supposed to be dead. He was never supposed to see that disapproving stare ever again. This couldn't possibly be happening.

"You have to kill them, Edward..." Alice ordered, her nails biting sharply into the skin of his good shoulder. "You promised me that you would..."

Ed had never agreed to anything like this. Defeating an abusive, and potentially maniacal, Father was one thing, but his own superiors, his own friends even, was beyond the question.

"Edward, please..." Alice's voice grew more desperate as she stared at the two who were even more confused than Ed was, watching from the other side of the room.

"Ed..." Roy started hesitantly. "Ed, don't listen to her! Whatever she says, don't-"

Ed glared at him, refusing to speak. Even if this were the Colonel, he had no right to come back like this and order him about. Not after all he'd been through after the Colonel's "disappearance".

"Edward, please!" Riza's voice was almost as pleading as Alice's, though a bit more comforting to the ear. "Edward, you've got to listen to us! Get out of here before you get hurt!"

"Don't listen to them, Edward..." Alice continued, her voice sharp and insistent. "It's lies, all of it. This is a plot against us. He must have known that you were coming here..."

"How-"

It seemed as though Ed could hardly get a word in edgewise as Alice continued to rant on. "I'm not sure, but it's not entirely secret that we've been seeing each other. If word got out, he'd certainly know about your history and do his research to-"

Ed shook his head. That wouldn't make any sense either. How would he know that Ed would come with her? Even if they'd been seen together, it didn't mean that he knew anything about her past, or her family. What if she hadn't decided to let him know that?

"Ed listen to me!" Roy insisted, trying to capture the boy's attention. "You need to get out of here! Lieutenant Hawkeye and I will clean things-"

"Why should I believe you?" Ed whipped at him, glaring intensely. Alice seemed satisfied with this kind of anger toward the new man. "You're supposed to be dead! For all I know, you could be a Homunculus!"

Roy growled. "This room is divided, Ed. Between the Homunculi and the living," he paused briefly, his eyes flashing in the light from the lit candles. "And at the moment, you're on the wrong side."

Ed looked around frantically. Alice's eyes had grown wide with fear.

"That's not true!" she shrieked. "Edward, you couldn't possibly believe him!" Her hands clamped tightly around his arms. "Look at me, Edward! You have to believe me! You care about me, don't you?"

Ed stared at her for a moment, her face becoming strangely familiar. It was no longer the face of Alice, but of someone else...

"_Don't you?"_

Something inside him snapped. Even Alice's voice was no longer her own. He was instead reminded of Winry, and to hear her pleading voice, begging him to save her, was enough to set him off.

Without warning, Ed swung around, clapping his hands together and placing them firmly to the floor. Roy was thrown backward as the ground exploded in front of him.

"Edward!" Riza yelled. "What are you doing?"

Roy hastily got his feet, flinging his arm in front of Riza to push her out of the line of fire. "Stay back, Lieutenant!"

"But Roy-"

"I said, stay back!"

With a loud snap, several streams of flame shot at the others in the room, each one dodging them with ease. Snarling, Roy faced them, his gloved hand poised in front of him, ready to strike again.

"You gonna fight me, Fullmetal?" Roy asked, glaring at the boy.

"Done it before," Ed snarled. "Who's to say I won't do it again?"

He clapped his hands once again, sending yet another surge of energy through the floor in his direction. Roy darted it this time, sparking several fireballs to Ed's left. He had no intention of hitting the boy, but whatever would be enough to intimidate him would work for now.

"Is that all, Colonel?" Ed asked, grinning evilly. "You seem to be losing your touch..." Dodging another spark of flame, he grit his teeth. "Not easy being dead, now, is it?"

"Would you give that up?" Roy roared, stumbling slightly as he gripped the back of a chair to balance himself from Ed's latest attack. "What will it get you to believe I'm not dead?"

"Nothing," Ed answered, standing up, still brandishing his sword-like arm threateningly. "I'm not going to believe you anyway."

"Edward, please!" Riza called out. "You're being ridiculous! Who are you going to believe? Us, or a bunch of strangers you've just met?"

Ed froze momentarily, thinking over what she'd just said, as though he'd been brought back to reality with an unpleasant bump. Shaking his head, he remembered what Alice had said about her father being deceitful. Not wasting another minute, he charged forward, barely missing Roy's arm by half an inch.

Roy threw himself away from the chair, landing hard against the wall, glaring in Ed's direction. "Fullmetal, please don't make this harder for yourself. I would really like to not explain to higher power why our aspiring young alchemist died at the hands of another alchemist."

"Have fun explaining it while everyone thinks you're dead," Ed shot at him. "See how many people are on your side then..."

Roy growled, finding it impossible to get through to the boy. He was becoming more than infuriating, and Roy was ready to snap. He could tell that Riza was having a hard time not flipping out at Ed as well.

"Come on, Ed!" Alice egged on, getting impatient herself. "Get this over with! Get in there..."

Ed grit his teeth, resisting the urge to tell her that he was trying the best that he could. It wasn't easy facing the Colonel, whether he was dead or not.

"Come on, Edward..." Roy said mockingly. "Surely you can beat a dead person..."

Ed lurched forward, once again barely missing the Colonel. Laughing haughtily, Roy brought himself to full height, tossing his head back in arrogance. Whipping around, Ed took advantage of this moment, and attacked, this time making contact.

The blade of Ed's arm had pierced the tender flesh of Roy's chest, as he gasped loudly. It took Riza a minute to realize what happened before Roy slumped over a bit, leaning on the chair, coughing harshly. Holding a hand to his mouth, red liquid began to appear between his fingers.

"Roy!" Riza screamed, hurrying to his side.

Ed stared at Roy, not seeing the seriousness of his actions. He brushed the few strands of blonde hair that had come loose from his braid away from his eyes.

"Come on, Colonel..." he said. "You'll be over it in about three seconds."

But Roy didn't get over it. He continued to cough and sputter, almost trying to push Riza away from him as she worried over him, trying to examine the wound to his chest. Ed stared in horror as the large gash failed to disappear as it had done with many Homunculi before. The Colonel appeared to be honestly wounded and if that were the case, it would mean that he was...

"C-Colonel?" Ed asked tentatively, the smirk fading from his face.

"...in...the...flesh..." Roy gasped between gasps, clutching a hand to his chest as he brushed Riza away. "What did...you...expect? A ghost?"

Ed shook his head, unable to believe what had happened, or what he'd just done. Roy hadn't been dead at all. It didn't make sense, but the Colonel was alive and well. Well, not exactly well, but alive nonetheless, which was certainly an improvement compared to the condition everyone believed him to be in.

Ed stepped forward, staring down at the struggling Colonel. "I-I...I can't...I..." Ed couldn't think of the right words to say at a time like this. He may very well have just killed his Colonel.

"Edward!" Alice called out to him. "Edward, what are you doing? Finish him off."

Ed didn't appear to hear him. He continued to stare down at Roy, shaking his head slowly. Riza glanced up at him, looking fearful. Ed finally thought he understood what was going on.

"Edward! Don't think about it!" Alice's voice became more insistent. "The more you think about it, the more you'll want to change your mind. You have to do this, Edward! You promised! Finish him off."

"He won't do it..." William's voice drawled from his viewing point at the back of the room. "You've lost, Alice...We told you he'd never go through with it. He couldn't kill his own Colonel."

"He can!" Alice hissed. "He can, and he will!"

Ed turned around to stare at her, however, her focus was still on Roy. "You..." Ed started slowly. "You knew this was the Colonel? You...did this on purpose?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Don't go all noble on me, Edward. You made a promise, and now you'll have to stick it out."

"You _knew?_" Ed continued, his eyes flashing dangerously, anger swelling in the pit of his stomach. "You knew he was alive all this time? You've been using me to get to him?"

"Now, now, Edward," Alice stepped forward, causing Ed to move in the other direction. "When you say it, you make it sound so devious. You wouldn't have done any of this if you didn't care about me..."

Ed shook his head. "I felt bad for you, nothing else. I don't care about you. You were just so pathet-"

Alice growled and launched herself in Ed's direction, her hands gripping tightly around his neck. Not pausing to think, Ed moved to grab her wrists, resulting in slashing one of them. As Alice recoiled in pain, she glared at Ed.

"You bastard!" she screeched. "You promised!"

Pulling herself back up, she flashed off her wrist which had returned to it's normal state. Ed's eyes grew wide as he realized that Roy had been right. Alice was a Homunculus, and if she was a Homunculus, that meant that-

"You get it now, Fullmetal?" William's eyes glinted in the darkness of his corner. He slowly moved toward the firelight. "You see what she is?"

Alice turned to hiss at him. "You shush!" she glanced back at Ed. "This is between Edward and I."

William glared at her. "I seem to recall being involved in this." he said. "Edward wasn't the only one to make a promise here..."

"Not _now_, William!" Alice continued, gritting her teeth angrily. "We'll discuss this later."

"We'll discuss this _now_!" William was nearly at her side.

"Now, now, you two..." Alice's grandmother spoke up, keeping her distance, though having great influence over the children, for both had turned at the sound of her voice. "There's no need for this. Your arguments are childish, and Edward Elric need not listen to them." She turned her head in the direction of Roy. "And I do believe that man is fading quickly. If something isn't done soon, he's going to die."

Ed was stunned with how calmly this woman spoke of death. She didn't seem to be fazed by the fact that there was a man dying within ten feet of her. Alice seemed to be shaking with anger, finding that everything was messing with her plan.

William turned back to face Ed, grinning a wide, familiar smile. "We at least owe dear Edward here an explanation as to why he's just killed one of the most prominent officers at Central."

Ed watched as William moved slowly toward Roy, closely followed by Alice, who didn't seem to want William to get to close to the wounded Colonel. Riza growled as the two came close, and wrapped her arms protectively around him, one hand settling upon the gun in her pocket.

"You come any closer..." she warned.

"Now, now, Lieutenant..." William spoke softly. "I don't want to hurt him. That's not my job..." he grinned, if possible, even wider. "I believe Edward has been burdened with that duty." Riza stared at him. "Oh yes, Edward promised my dear _sister_ here that he would do away with him..."

"I did no such thing!" Ed shot at him, stepping forward forcefully. "I promised to get rid of your Father..." he stared at Alice. "You said nothing about the Colonel."

Alice's laughter rang through the room like an evil cackle, sending chills down Ed's spine. She shook her head slowly as she turned to face him, her appearance changing slightly as the light flickered over her.

"You just don't get it, do you, Edward?" She asked, her hair turning a bright reddish-brown color, curling a bit. As she continued to stare at him, her eyes became a deeper, more humanly, shade of brown. Roy had lifted his head, watching the girl with intense curiosity.

Ed wasn't sure what he wasn't getting, but there were a few things he knew for certain. This girl had tricked him, and while doing so, had managed to get to the Colonel. He also knew that he was in the presence of a Homunculus, which could only mean that there were others around.

Alice opened her mouth as if she were going to speak to Ed, but closed it suddenly, and turned to face Roy instead, grinning widely. Roy stared back at her through wide, bloodshot eyes, though his expression was quite unreadable. Riza's grip on her gun grew tighter as Alice leaned over to peer intensely into Roy's eyes.

"Hello, Daddy..." she said softly. "I've missed you..."

**A/N:** Yeah, see, this isn't too bad of a cliffie. I mean, you could already expect it, so you're not like: OMG! WHAT!? But, I suppose it still isn't very nice. I promise that the next update will be sooner. Hopefully, I'll have more time to work on it in my spare time. I'm also directing a show right now, which makes things even more hectic. So, I thank you all for being so patient, and hope to hear from you soon. Please review in the meantime. Ciao!


	21. Mirror Image

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any related titles/names.

**A/N:** -breathes a sigh of relief- It's done. It's finally done. You guys have no idea how long it's taken me to write this chapter. (Actually...you do, because you've been waiting oh-so patiently...I'm sorry!!) I would seriously sit down to write it in the very little time I got every night, and would write a sentence...then lose inspiration. It has taken me all this time...along with several FMA refresher sessions to get this back up and running. I was so determined to update tonight that I think I've given myself a headache from the light off the computer screen. But enough with the chit-chat. Here it is. I hope you enjoy. And I apologize for keeping you waiting.

**Chapter 21: Mirror Image**

"Daddy?!" Ed yelped, staring at the two before him in horror. "What the-?"

"Yes, _Daddy_," Alive grinned at the struggling man almost maniacally. "Did you miss your little girl?"

Roy gasped for breath, clutching at his chest. Alice reached a hand out to him, only cut off by a sharp "BANG!".

Alice froze, her eyes wide with shook. Ed stared at her as she glanced down at her chest. Slowly, red stains began to trickle down her sundress.

"A-Alice?" Ed said hesitantly as they girl slowly traced her fingers in the blood, bringing it before her horror-struck eyes.

Riza watched, gun still in hand, as Alice's look of terror faded, quickly replaced by a mocking grin.

"Perhaps you did not hear me correctly during our visit, Lieutenant," Alice said, still staring at the crimson liquid on her fingers. "I am a Homunculus..." her eyes locked onto Riza's. "You can't kill me..."

Without warning, Alice darted forward, knocking the gun from Riza's grasp. Retaliating, Riza grabbed the girl by the neck, toppling her to the floor. Several long gashes appeared across Riza's face as Alice's nails dug into the soft flesh.

"Ri-za!" Roy gasped, reaching out for her. Gripping the chair, he struggled to bring himself to his feet.

Ed still stood in a daze of confusion. All that was happening was way too absurd that, for a moment, he thought it some crazy dream.

Alice flipped Riza onto her back, her thumbs creating crevices in the base. Riza gave out strangled yelps of pain as she tore at Alice's arms in hopes of ridding herself of this monstrous creature.

"How does it feel, Lieutenant?" Alice sneered through grit teeth. "To be so near to death, almost begging for it, pleading for it to be over. How does that _feel_?"

Riza didn't answer as she choked and gasped for air. Her vision swam in and out of focus, Alice becoming no more than a dark blur before her.

"Imagine it being like that _every single day_ of your life..." Alice loomed down at her, her forehead pressed to Riza's so the panicked Lieutenant could see the red of her eyes. "Welcome to my Hell, Princess..."

Alice struck a sharp blow to Riza's face, knocking the girl nearly unconscious. Alice rose to her feet, a crackle of electricity running through her. Appearing as good as new, she turned back to Ed, whose focus had dropped to Riza.

"What did you do to her?" he snarled, finding it strange that he could no longer move his feet.

Alice shrugged. "I couldn't have her ruining our plans now, could I, Edward?" As she moved toward him, she kicked Riza's gun across the room. "Can't have that lying around. Someone might get hurt..."

"Stop messing around, Alice!" William growled at her impatiently. "You're going to screw things up. Just get on with it!"

"Patience, my dear brother, is a virtue..." she said calmly, raising a bloody hand in his direction to silence him. "These things take time..."

She stood before Ed, her gleaming eyes boring into his. Roy had collapsed onto the chair, but was still fully aware of his surroundings. Something wasn't right with Fullmetal, and he could tell. Something seemed to be fogging the boy's mind.

"Edward..." Alice said slowly, her hand reaching out to stroke the side of his face.

Ed pulled away, jerking his cheek away from her. His golden eyes grew cold and harsh as he stared back at her. "You lied to me..." he growled.

Alice retracted her hand, a small frown appearing across her pale lips. "Oh Edward...don't talk like that..."

Roy lifted his head weakly, attempting to see the young Alchemist's face. He know too well how deceiving the girl before them could be. He too had fallen victim before.

"I never lied to you, Edward..." she said softly. "Everything I've told you is entirely true..."

Ed glanced toward the people towering in the corner. "These people...are your family?" he turned back to her. "I thought there were only seven Homunculi...plus you." he added quickly.

Alice averted her eyes hastily. "Well...no." She told him. "That I did lie about. These people mean no more to me than the ground we're standing on. But everything else I've told you so far was true."

Ed stared at the Colonel who had become quite motionless. "Even him?" he asked.

Alice didn't bother to glance at Roy before nodding. "He's my Father." she paused shortly, correcting herself. "In a sense."

Alice slowly began to circle him, quite vulture-like. Ed felt a strange chill run up his spine as she failed to stop, continuously moving in a pattern around him. He started to feel dizzy, unable to focus on anything else.

"Do you understand me at all, Edward?" she asked finally, still moving.

"I can only assume..." Ed answered slowly.

"He created me..." She said, stopping before him. Ed was having difficulty seeing her for his eyes had seemed to fog over. "Years ago, when I met him, I trusted him. He became my only friend in a time of hatred and war. But he betrayed me. It was because of him that I became what I am today. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have died that day in the middle of the city, a metal bullet flying through my chest stopping my heart permanently to-" she cut off abruptly, realizing that she was getting a bit ahead of herself. William had stepped forward, glaring at her.

Roy had been listening and lifted his hand in protest, unable to find the voice to speak his mind. It seemed as though Ed's wound had affected him worse than he'd imagined, however, Ed failed to see just how bad things had gotten.

"But that's not important," she said calmly, her eyes roving their way back toward Ed. "The important thing is that he not only killed me once, but he tried to do so again."

Ed could hardly make out any of what she was saying. His head was spinning all of a sudden. Something wasn't right. He felt vulnerable.

"He'll keep trying to kill me, Edward..." Alice's voice was pleading once again. "You promised me! You promised me you'd do this..." she shook her head. "Don't say you lied to me..."

Ed's head swung back and forth slowly, though he could hardly recollect doing so. It was as if some other force was telling him what to do, controlling his every move.

"You'll kill him, won't you?" she asked, her eyes growing wide and intoxicating. "You wouldn't let him kill me would you?"

Alice's form had become a strange dream-like mirage. Ed blinked several times, ensuring that the view before him was real, however, no matter how many times he blinked, the image became no clearer.

Alice appeared blonde to him now. It was strange. He was certain that her hair had been darker only moments before.

"Are you listening to me, Edward?" Alice asked, looking concerned.

Even her clothes had changed. The sundress was gone, and in it's place were a pair of dirty pants and a very small black top. She looked familiar, but Ed couldn't quite put his finger on it. He was still struggling through the fog in his mind.

"This is no use, _Malice_..." William stepped forward, growling dangerously. "The boy's not going to go through with it. What have we been telling you from the beginning?"

Alice's 'grandmother' stood beside him, her hand resting gently on his shoulder. Ed could see them almost as clear as day, though the rest of the room was nothing more than a blur. Her grandmother was no longer elderly. In fact, she was quite the opposite of what a woman her age would normally appear to be.

"Now, now..." she said softly. "Malice did say she knew what she was doing. We have nothing to lose, so let her do what she wants..."

"She's going to screw things up!" William growled, wrenching his shoulder from her grasp. "I'm sick of watching you two do this half-assed. Let _me_ show you how it's done."

As William stepped forward, Alice's grandmother followed, her eyes growing dark and threatening.

"_Envy..._"

William froze in his tracks, not bothering to glance over his shoulder at her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she proceeded to glare at him. Something jarred the back of Ed's mind, causing a bit of the fog to be lifted.

_Envy..._

Ed knew that name from somewhere, but the link between the name and a face was still missing. He managed to blink slowly, his surroundings becoming a bit clearer.

"You know the deal, Envy..." she continued. "Let Malice do this the way she wants." Her focus changed to the girl. "And if she fails, we follow through as planned. Just as she agreed."

_Envy..._

The name continued to echo in Ed's hollow world of a mind. William, also known as Envy, failed to acknowledge the woman's words, but didn't move from his spot. Alice nodded shortly, turning back to Ed.

"Ed..." she stood before him, her hand tracing the side of his face.

Ed's vacant eyes landed on hers, unable to believe the sight before him. She wasn't Alice anymore. She didn't even look remotely like Alice. Instead, he was convinced that the girl before him was-

"Winry..." he breathed.

"Edward..." she whispered. "Please...you have to help me..."

"Winry..." Ed said softly, his eyes soft and concerned. "What's going on?"

"You know what he did to my parents, Ed..." the girl continued. "You know what he did! You have to put an end to this! He won't stop there. He'll just keep killing-"

"Winry, we've talked about-" Ed protested.

"No!" she sobbed, her eyes wide fearful. "You don't understand Edward. It's me or him this time! You have to decide! Your Colonel...or-or _me_!" She dropped her voice low as she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his. "And you love me, don't you Edward?"

Ed closed his eyes, absolutely torn. He'd lived without Winry for a while, but he didn't think he'd be able to now. Not after everything that had happened with them. And his automail would need repair eventually. She was almost the key to his life.

But the Colonel. He'd done everything he could to help Ed live to his potential, to reach his dream. And the unconscious woman on the floor loved him. He wasn't sure why, but goddammit, she loved him and would never be able to live with herself if she lost him again.

And Ed would never be able to live with himself if he were the one to cause such grief.

"Winry..." Ed said softly, unable to avert his eyes, although every fiber of his being was telling him to do so. "I-"

Before he could finish, her lips were on his, locking him a desperate kiss. His eyes relaxed to a close as his real hand wound up behind her neck, pulling her closer to him.

"E-Ed!?"

Ed pulled away quickly, the fog suddenly vanishing from his mind as he was made aware of his surroundings. He blinked in confusion as his eyes strayed from the girl in front of him, to the new girl who appeared to have been dragged by Alice's grandmother into the room in the meantime. The girl by the doorway panted and gasped as her arms were locked tightly behind her by the older woman's fierce grip. Her eyes were focused solely on Ed as he stared back at her, taking notice of the intense look of heartbreak present in the golden irises.

He looked back at the girl with whom he'd just been tightly enveloped, then to the girl in the door, then back. Back and forth he stared at them, his mind reeling with a thousand thoughts, each one as confusing as the one before. But something just wasn't clicking. There was something incredibly wrong with the picture before him.

The two girls were identical.

**A/N:** Okay, so yeah, cliffhanger again, but come on guys, how can you not expect one from me? I promise this time to not keep you hanging. When I'm not working, I'll definitely be writing as much as I can. I have so much more free time now. And I'll probably even be writing at work. I do that sometimes. Everyone makes fun of me. But then I'm like: "Pssh! Fine! Be that way! See if I let _you _read it!" But anyways, please go ahead and review...and tell me how much you hate me, because I know you all do at this point. -sobs- But I deserve it. In my defense I was uuber busy and stressed out, but I still deserve it. But remember, I still love you all! -hugs-


	22. Conflicting Emotions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the related titles. All credit goes to Hiromu Arakawa. (Sorry for the lack of creativity on these things…I just don't have the energy.)

**A/N:** Alrighty, everyone. Here's the next chapter you've all been waiting for. Hopefully I haven't been keeping you waiting for too long. –has completely forgotten when I posted last- But anyways, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the lack of Roy/Riza in this chapter…because they're…currently very unconscious, at least, for the most part, but not for long, mark my words. But, that shouldn't prevent you from enjoying it. This story continues to get even more twisted, so please read on!

**Chapter 22: Conflicting Emotions**

"W-What's going on here?" Ed yelped, looking once again from girl to girl.

"Ed, get ou-!" the girl in the doorway shrieked, only cut off by a sharp blow from the old woman. The blonde girl fell forward, quite unconscious.

"Don't listen to her, Edward…" Alice continued, stepping forward, her hand returning to the side of his face, cupping it gently. "That's that pesky Alice girl who's been following you around. You can't trust her, Ed. Her family will keep her company for now…"

Ed turned back to stare at her, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Something wasn't right here. The girl before him no longer sounded like Winry. At least, not the Winry he knew.

"Now, Ed…" she said softly, her eyes boring into his, a definite sadness shining in them. "What are you going to do with this man?" she nodded in Roy's direction. "You know what he's done. You know what he's like. You're much better without him, don't you think?"

Ed didn't respond as he continued to stare at her. His eyes never left hers, although he'd been tempted to glance at the Colonel. Although part of him didn't believe it was actually Roy Mustang, the part that did feared for his safety. Ed hated him, it was true, but that didn't mean he was just going to let him die.

Again.

"Your life would be so much easier," she continued. "Wasn't it like that before? When you believed him to be dead before? Wasn't it easier for you? There was no one breathing down your neck all the time. You were free to do what you wanted. Wasn't it easier, Edward?"

Ed failed to answer once again, a harsh argument waging in his head, trying to decide his next course of action. Things were starting to make sense, though he wasn't quite sure how all of it fell into place.

"Edward, please answer me!" the girl sounded desperate.

"No…" he growled.

Alice didn't pull her hand away, though she looked thoroughly offended. "No? Why not? Don't you love me, Edward?"

Ed's metal arm flew out of nowhere, gripping Alice's wrist tightly as he glared at her, teeth bared.

"No," he hissed. "Especially after what you've done to my friends!"

With a swift kick, Alice was brought to the floor, glaring back up at Ed. The girl refused to move for a moment as Ed towered over her, a maniacal grin plastered across his face.

"I wouldn't have done that if I were you, Edward…" she said slowly, her appearance changing once again.

"I don't see why not," Ed spat.

Without warning, the girl was back on her feet, her long black hair returning to its original length and flying behind her as she launched herself in Ed's direction, taking the boy by the neck.

Catching Alice off guard, Ed managed to knock her hands away, only losing her balance for a moment before she returned for yet another attack. Her long nails caught the side of his face, leaving long bloody marks. It wasn't long before Ed resembled the torn up form of Riza lying on the floor.

Ed froze as Alice rammed into the wall, narrowly missing Ed. Riza was no longer on the floor beside them. Glancing around quickly, he looked for the missing girl.

"Argh!" Alice screamed as she gave a sharp blow of the back of Ed's head, knocking him forward.

Regaining his footing, the First Lieutenant was quickly swept from his mind. The girl before him moved quickly, but not nearly quick enough to get the best of him. With several swift blows, the girl fell to the floor a final time, Ed's sword-like armed pointed right at her throat.

"Going to kill me, Edward?" she asked pitifully, though she wasn't truly frightened.

"Homunculus or not," Ed said through grit teeth. "I'm going to."

She shook her head slowly. "I told you, Edward…" she said tauntingly. "I wouldn't do that…"

"And why not?" Ed retorted, jabbing his arm threatening in her direction, just millimeters from the skin of her neck.

She grinned devilishly, her voice ringing through the room as she shouted a command loudly. _"Do it, Lust!"_

A low familiar voice drawled from somewhere behind Ed. "With pleasure…"

Ed gasped, whipping his head in the other direction. Standing behind him was an entirely different woman than had been there before. Instead of an older grandmother, a busty young woman held the blonde in captivity. A single long nail was placed threateningly against the girl's temple as the familiar busty woman smirked.

"Still want to do that, Edward Elric?" the woman spoke.

"Lust…" he snarled in her direction. "Another Homunculus…"

"That's right, Pipsqueak…" another voice butt in, winding their way in front of him, breaking the connection between Ed's arm and Alice's neck. William stood before him grinning wildly. A smile that was much too familiar for comfort. "The odds are against you, once again…"

Ed's eyes grew wide as she stared at the boy before him. There was an even more familiar glint in the strange violet eyes. He had been certain William's eyes were golden before, but appearances were changing at a rapid pace that he couldn't be certain of anything anymore.

William laughed stepping toward Ed, leering at him. Their faces were merely an inch apart before he decided to speak again. "Did you miss me, Edward Elric?"

"Envy…"

"Very good, Pipsqueak…" Envy responded, reaching up to grip Ed by his braid, jerking his head backward. "What say I kill you first?"

Not answering, Ed's metallic fist made contact with Envy's strangely false flesh, causing the boy to return to his usual gender-confused self. The green-haired monster responded quickly, sending Ed across the room, striking the wall to fall to the ground in a heap.

Alice had returned to her feet, and could be heard screeching at Envy in the background, though the blow seemed to have affected Ed's hearing temporarily.

"-my job!" Alice's voice suddenly sounded in his ears. "You promised!"

"Well you were doing terrible," Envy shot back at her. "And you call yourself a Homunculus! Even if we get Ed and the others, don't even think you're closer to be called one of us."

"That is not for you to decide," Alice raged, her hands clenched into fists as she assumed her Homunculus form. Swinging at him, the two began to rampage around the room, only to be stopped by the calm threatening voice of Lust, who hadn't moved from her spot.

"They've disappeared…" she said mysteriously.

The two froze, glancing up at her. Envy's hands were wrapped tightly around Alice's neck, while her hands were twisted tightly in his hair.

"What?" Envy snarled. "Who's disappeared? Elric?"

Before Lust could respond, Envy sent Alice flying across the room in a much similar fashion to what he had done to Edward. The girl however, did not find herself in a heap as she returned to her feet.

"Dammit," Envy screeched, pointing an accusing finger in her direction. "This is all your fault. The Flame Alchemist and his Lieutenant would be dead, and we'd have Elric if it weren't for you! You're nothing but a second-rate, no good, sad excuse for a Homu-"

"Not Elric," Lust spoke up, her eyes still locked onto the gasping Alchemist. "The Colonel and his Lieutenant…" She nodded toward the spot they'd been only moments before. "They're gone."

In a dazed stupor, Ed glanced over toward the chair Roy had been slumped over. Sure enough, he was gone, and Riza had not returned. It was strange. Where had they gone?

"Well, well, well…" Lust continued slowly. "Doesn't this make things interesting. The odds are against you, Edward Elric. Three of us against you. There's not even your dear brother here to help you anymore…"

Ed shook his head, hesitantly bringing himself to his feet. He wasn't going to let something like this stop him. He'd faced the Homunculi on his own before. Not three at a time and managed to get away, but he was certainly going to try.

"You've backed yourself into a corner," Lust pointed out. "We've got the one thing you care about most, and you can't do anything about it. Make a move against us, and its lights out for your friend." She grinned. "Oh dear…what are you going to do?"

Envy snickered, finding the situation entertaining, though a strange look had donned Alice's face.

"What are you planning on doing with him?" she asked, turning to face Lust. "You've been awfully vague about that part of the deal. Just what is it you're planning on doing?"

"Why do you care?" Envy stepped forward, his voice mocking. "I thought you didn't care about what happened to him. You just wanted revenge on your Colonel."

"I-I never said that I cared!" Alice shot back at him. "I-I'm just curious, that's all! P-Perhaps I want in on the action! Perhaps I w-want to help you!"

Lust turned her head in Alice's direction, the grin fading from her face. "I do believe you have honest feelings for the boy…"

"Of course I don't!" she yelped, her face turning a shade close to that of her eyes. "Why on earth would I care about a-a thing like _that!_"

Ed didn't seem to be paying attention to the argument before him anymore. He had been certain he hadn't heard anyone leave, therefore Roy and Riza had to still be somewhere around him. They were in no condition to fight, and Ed was certain of it, but they had to be planning something. He just wished he knew what it was.

"Then go ahead," Envy taunted. "Kill him. He's not paying attention. Blow his head off. Stab him through the head. Or the heart," he grinned at her. "Isn't that more fitting?"

Alice's hand made contact with Envy's face, leaving a large red mark. Ed shook his head and started forward, his eyes still wandering to every possible hiding spot he could see.

Envy glanced at him, the smile not fading from his face. "Here's your chance. It looks like he's almost asking for it, don't you think? Maybe he cares about you more than you thought…"

"Let her go…" Ed ordered.

Envy gripped Alice's shoulder and shoved her in Ed's direction. "Here. Have her."

Ed pushed Alice away, and growled in Lust's direction. "That's not who I was talking about…"

Lust jerked Winry to a standing position, tracing the girl's jaw line with her nail. "You mean this precious thing here?" she asked, pressing her cheek to Winry's. "You mean her?"

Ed's face became heated, suppressing the urge to launch himself at the woman. Any sudden movements would be a threat on Winry's life and he just wasn't willing to risk that.

"How do I even know that's really Winry?" Ed asked, trying to buy himself some time, and Roy and Riza some as well to finish planning whatever they were planning. (Granted they were planning anything at all. He certainly hoped they were.)

"You don't…" Lust said matter-of-factly. "Which only complicates your situation, doesn't it? Is it really worth sacrificing yourself for something that could turn out to be nothing more than a talking dummy?"

Ed knew it was no talking dummy. The girl in Lust's clutches was Winry Rockbell and he knew it. Every fiber of his being insisted on it, gripping his heart in a chokehold.

His ears perked as he was certain a new noise had reached them. Avoiding tearing his gaze from Winry, he prayed silently that it had been those he was waiting for.

"Well, Elric…" Envy said impatiently. "It's your move. What do you decide?" He crossed his arms, stepping to the other side of Winry. "Or am I going to have to make the decision for you?"

Ed opened his mouth to speak, fearing the worse as nothing happened behind him. Perhaps he was truly alone this time. The others had ditched him entirely.

Gripping his fists tightly, Ed stepped forward, only to be knocked backward a moment later, by a loud explosion that shook the whole room.

A woman screamed loudly, though Ed could hardly tell who it had been. The smoke that filled the room was blinding, preventing anyone or anything from being seen by another. Whatever had exploded had certainly done its job, leaving the Homunculi lost, confused, and very angry.

"WINRY!" Ed called out, choking on the thick smoke. To his left he could see several hot flames burning out of control. He was certain this time that they could only mean one thing.

There was a loud click from something near the doorway, followed by a loud voice that only confirmed his suspicions.

"Drop her…" the voice instructed loudly, a silver gun pointed in the direction of Lust's towering figure, the only one remaining in the smoke.

Roy and Riza had finally made their return.

**A/N:** Aha, see? I told you they'd be back, and they will be majorly kick-ass in the next chapter. I can promise you that much. Since when have they ever let minor fatal chest wounds stop them from killing baddies? Huh? Ever? No. I didn't think so. So, please review, because you're all amazing, and I love hearing from you. If I don't respond, please don't take it personally, I barely have time to write the chapter, let alone write back to all you wonderful people. So…just so you know, I do read all of the reviews and appreciate every single one I receive! So here's a major THANK YOU to all of you out there who have reviewed/favorited/alerted so far, in case I haven't had the chance to say so before now.

Update will be soon. I've got some good ideas for the next chapter.

Oh yeah, and as a reminder, this story is certainly winding down, so I'm adding a countdown til the end of the story.

CHAPTERS LEFT: 3 (including epilogue…ish thing.)


	23. Up In Smoke

**Disclaimer:** I DISCLAIM EVERYTHING!

**A/N:** Hey everyone. I don't have much time to say anything, so in short, I hope you all enjoy this! Thanks!

**Chapter 23: Up In Smoke**

"Now, Roy!" Riza roared.

Nearly half the room was engulfed in smoke as once again as several flames shot from the end of Roy's glove. Lust was knocked backward as a swift kick was dealt to her jaw, the captive girl released from her grasp.

Ed spotted Lust scrambling through the smoke to find her attacker, the girl absent from her arms, causing him to panic. Moving hastily, Ed dropped to the floor, and began a search of his own.

"WINRY!" he called out, hardly caring that he'd be giving away his position. "WINRY!"

A pale arm came into view, accompanied by a mass of blonde hair. Ed reached out for it, grasping it only momentarily before his own hand was seized, the face turning up to meet his gaze. Although the face was Winry's, the grin was utterly sadistic and quite uncharacteristic of her.

"Save me, Edward," Envy's mocking voice rang through the small box the smoke concealed them in. With a high pitched cackle, Envy's foot made contact with the side of Ed's face, sending him backward.

"What's the matter, Full Metal?" he taunted. "Lose your balance?"

Ed had hardly been given the chance to stand before being knocked to the ground once more. As Envy approached for yet another attack, a sharp blow was dealt to the back of his head, stunning him momentarily.

"I'll take care of him…" Riza said, appearing from the smoke, gun raised. "Find Winry!"

Ed nodded shortly as Envy came to and launched himself at Riza, trying his best to get back at Ed. She easily dodged him, but was thrown backward as he caught her off guard, recovering quickly from his miss.

"Riza?!" Roy's voice sounded from Ed's left.

"She's that way!" Ed called out, jerking his metallic hand in her direction.

Roy stumbled his way toward Ed, revealing the sorry attempt at a bandage wrapped around his chest. A strange pang of guilt coursed through Ed as Roy continued to hack and gasp for breath.

"Nice mess, FullMetal," he spat, "Once again, you've managed to-"

All guilty feelings vanished with those few short words. "Just shut up and help her!" Ed shouted, throwing himself forward, scanning the floor intently.

A loud explosion followed shortly after Roy's departure, though it was not accompanied by the usual spurt of flames. Roy had not been the one to deal the attack for a moment later an even louder yell escaped from the already wounded Colonel.

"What the _hell_ was that!?" Ed shouted, turning around suddenly.

"ROY!" Riza cried out as yet another blast sounded.

Ed tried to blink the smoke from his eyes, trying his best to determine who was performing such actions. Envy had Riza's arms locked tightly behind her as she struggled forward. Lust was still nowhere to be found, but he was certain she wasn't capable of explosions.

Riza's eyes locked onto Ed as he made his way back toward them. "Edward, no!" she ordered. "Stay back! I told you to find Winry!"

Ed froze, his eyes focused on her writhing form. There was no way she'd be able to break from Envy's grasp, nor was he going to let her go alive.

Before Riza could command him to move again, Envy tore from her, racing after Ed. Clapping hastily, Ed managed to transmute his arm in time to catch Envy's arm, leaving a great gash.

Riza fell forward, feeling around the floor for the fallen Colonel. "Roy…" she whispered, "Roy, where are you?"

A faint coughing met her ears as she scrambled forward, spotting the fabric of his torn shirt. Curling her hands around his head, she pulled him into her lap, gently tapping the side of his face.

"Roy, please…" she muttered. "Roy, can you hear me?"

Roy coughed again, his eyes fluttering open for only a moment before coming to a close once more.

"Go…" Roy gasped, coughing roughly.

"I can't," Riza refused. "You're hurt! Roy, you're dy-"

"Lieutenant…" Roy glared up at her. "I order you to go! I'll be fine!" he hissed slightly as a sharp pain coursed through his chest.

"But-" Riza started. She had made a promise. A promise to always have his back. How could she have his back leaving him like this? In this condition?

"Lieutenant!" Roy growled, his teeth set firmly together.

He had hardly the time to utter another word of warning before she leaned over him, her lips pressed to his. He responded by kissing her back gently, a bloodied hand resting against her cheek.

She finally pulled away, gazing down at him. "Don't die…" she whispered. "Please, Roy, don't die…"

He nodded slowly, allowing her to slip away from him. Hurriedly, she rushed forward, finding her discarded gun and returning to its poised position in front of her.

"Edward?" she called out. "Edward! Where are you?"

"Over here!" A voice called back.

Stepping forward hesitantly, Riza was unsure of the voice that had spoken. It wasn't quite Ed's, but it may have been Winry's. Perhaps he'd found her after all.

But before Riza could decide, several long nails shot in her direction, narrowly missing her face. Instinctively, Riza pulled the trigger, unloading a good full round of bullets into the busty chest of the appearing Lust.

She glanced down at the hastily fading bullet holes, grinning wildly. "Nice shot, Lieutenant…" she drawled. "But it appears that you may have missed me…"

Riza lifted her gun again threateningly, though she knew it had no affect on Lust whatsoever. No matter how many times she was shot, the girl would return as good as new, prepared to fight for ages.

How was it you killed a Homunculus? Riza didn't know. She'd never come face to face with the problem before, therefore had no need to know. It seemed as though it were impossible, leaving Riza in a more than screwed situation.

"Something wrong, Lieutenant?" Lust asked, cocking her head to the side. "Missing your Colonel, are you? How is he feeling? It looked like the boy did a number on him. Not many people could recove-"

"Shut up…" Riza snarled, her eyes flashing dangerously.

Lust cackled at her reaction, finding the girl before her about as threatening as a pussy cat. She shook her head slowly, as though she could hardly believe Riza was trying to fight her.

"You think you stand a chance?" she asked. "Any of you? Against us, with no clue what you're doing?"

Riza stood her ground, trying her best to calm her nerves. It was as though the creature before her could see right through her, tell her every move, hear her every fear. "How do you know I don't know how to kill you?" Riza asked sharply, her eyes growing wide and wild.

Lust moved closer to her. "You wouldn't still be pointing that gun at me then, Elizabeth…" she said slowly. "You know it does nothing…"

"Don't call me that…" Riza warned.

Lust laughed as she took yet another step closer to her. It seemed as though Riza's feet had been glued to the floor, for she didn't dare move a step backward. There was something different about Lust this time as Riza continued to stare at her. Her eyes were an exotic red color, when she'd been certain before they were a deep violet. Riza raised her gun higher, ignoring the thunderous beat her heart was sounding in her chest.

"I wouldn't kill me if I were you…" she warned.

"And why not?" Riza asked, her voice almost losing all of it's tone.

The girl was almost exactly in front of her. Lust's hair lost its curl as it grew further down her shoulders, her beautiful face becoming younger and more immature.

"Daddy may not like it…"

"Malice…" Riza breathed, coming face to face with the familiar girl.

Malice grinned at her, returning fully to her original state. "Hello, Elizabeth…"

Neither moved as they stared at each other in silence. The room had fallen eerily quiet, and Riza was unsure that there was anyone else around them.

"Envy's not the only one good with appearances…" Malice pointed out finally, holding her hands in front of her. She blinked slowly as Lust's hands returned, the deadly nails flashing before Riza's face. "Makes you wonder who's really who around here…"

Riza's heart faltered, paranoia beginning to set in. How much of what had just happened been real? Had everyone in the room been nothing more than an illusion, or was this something that Malice merely wanted her to believe? And where did the others go. It was getting even quieter, and the smoke didn't seem to be settling.

_What's going on?!_

"Where are the others?" Riza managed to get out.

"Who?" Malice asked, looking baffled. "Oh, you mean Lust and Envy?" Riza nodded shortly. "They left. Cowards."

"Why-" Riza opened her mouth, but was cut off as Malice waved her hand.

"The military has finally made their way here to help you," she explained. "Edward's brother seems to be a bit on the overprotective side." she shook her head. "But that doesn't matter. I'm not afraid of them, nor do I intend to let any of them find you alive."

Malice started around Riza tauntingly, her voice becoming slow and tantalizing.

"But then again…" she started. "I could have them find you. Along with the Alchemists and that girl…all dead, with the exception of you. Now how would that look?"

Riza didn't answer as she continued to stare at something other than the girl circling around her. Malice _could_ certainly do something like that, but it was more of a matter of whether or not she _would_ do something like that.

"You don't think I'd do it, Lieutenant?" Malice asked, turning to face the girl. "You don't think I'm brave enough to kill you all? Don't think I'd have the heart to do it?" Riza didn't answer as Malice brought her face close to hers. "Well, I've got a newsflash for you, darling…I haven't got a heart anymore. Not since, he-!"

Roy seemed to appear out of nowhere, still clearly subdued, hovering in the air, his feet just barely brushing the floor.

"-took the right for me to have one away!" Malice's voice was dark and snarling. "And do you know what I have in place of that heart now? _Do you!?_ A stone! A dark, red, unfeeling, unloving _stone!_"

Riza's eyes grew wide, as she realized what was going on. She knew how to kill Malice if she were given the chance. Homunculi only lived because the Philosopher's Stone managed to preserve them. Without the stone, their already rotting bodies would crumble and their lives would cease to exist.

"And what about this one?!" Malice jerked her hand again and Ed appeared on the opposite side of Roy, Winry clasped in his arms though both appeared unconscious. "This one who searches for the very thing that keeps me alive! The one who was willing to put his own Mother through the hell I've been allotted."

"Does killing them make you any better than they are?" Riza asked loudly, trying to buy herself more time. Perhaps if the other officers had time to get there Malice would back down and flee like the others. Or, perhaps they could capture her and strip her of her power.

"Don't pull that crap on me, Lieutenant…" Malice replied, waving a finger in her direction. "I have no sympathy for them, nor do I care enough at this point to listen to your reasoning."

Riza shook her head, "I don't know what it is you want me to do…" she said. "Either way I lose. Do you merely want me to choose my fate? No matter what I decide, they're going to die."

Malice nodded. "Pretty much. But one way, you live. The other, you die. Which would you prefer?" She sauntered over to Roy, her hand cradling the side of his bruised face. "Living the rest of your life without your precious Colonel…or dying nobly beside him."

"I see nothing noble about this…" Riza spat. "And I'd rather none of us died!"

With a sharp 'crack', the butt of Riza's gun made contact with the side of Malice's head. The girl screamed in anger, throwing herself toward Riza, tearing at her face. Riza fell backward, ripping a large chunk of black hair from Malice's head.

With a loud howl, the girl assumed the form of Lust once more, the long nails piercing Riza's shoulder. Riza merely clenched her teeth, pulling herself away and driving her foot into the girl's stomach.

"You think that's enough to do me in?" Malice wheezed as she hunched over trying to catch her breath.

"Apparently, it's enough to do that…" Riza nodded toward her huffing form.

Malice roared loudly, flying forward once again, tackling Riza to the ground. Nearly flipping over entirely, Riza sent Malice against the wall, knocking her senseless for a moment. Struggling to her feet, Riza felt herself being jerked away.

"Riza, move!"

It took her a moment to realize that Roy and the others were no longer hanging in the air. The arm that had captured her own was strong and familiar as it tugged her toward the doorway.

"FullMetal, keep hold of her!" the man shouted from above her. "Don't look back, just keep going!"

Riza gazed up, unsure of what was going on. A moment before, Roy had been entirely unconscious and now he was dragging her down the nearest staircase. They could hear Malice stirring back in the room, angered to find that her captives had thwarted her once again.

"FullMetal, seal the door!" Roy ordered, pulling Riza close to him, though he grimaced in pain.

Ed tossed the limp Winry to Roy, who held her next to Riza and raced back to the door. Clapping loudly, a bright light shone through the stairway sending a metal seal through the cracks of the door.

Returning to them, Ed grabbed Winry and led the way as they threw themselves out of the building onto the lawn beyond. Ed and Winry landed in a heap before the waiting officers, the girl finally starting to come to. Roy pushed Riza behind him as he faced the building a final time, struggling to keep his footing.

"Riza stay back…" he ordered.

Riza backed off as Roy raised his fingers before him. An officer hurried over to them, yelling loudly.

"Sir! Sir, what are you-"

_Snap!_

The building before them was immediately engulfed in flames. The officers watched as sparks shot into the sky, destroying all traces that a building had ever stood in that very spot. Riza took Roy into her arms once he began to swoon again, resting him back onto the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, he closed his eyes. Riza knew the man had passed out completely.

As the building burned, Riza looked up, a sudden noise ringing through the air. Though the others could not explain it, she knew what it was. A voice, screaming into the night for a final time.

"_DADDY-!"_

**A/N:** So there you are. I really hope you enjoyed it! Please review! and once again, thanks to all my readers!

Countdown til end of story: 2 chapters.


	24. The Perfect Equivalent Exchange

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own it after all this time…

**A/N:** Hey there everyone. Here we are, the second to last chapter of _Midnight Conversations._ A lot of things are explained in this chapter, but the Royai-ness is minimal. I'm saving that for next chapter. Is that alright? I hope so. Please enjoy!

**Chapter 24: The Perfect Equivalent Exchange**

"First of all, Colonel Mustang, let me be the first to say what a pleasure it is to have you back," a young officer said as he stood before the Colonel's desk. "You were a terrible loss to our branch and I'm sure that none of us wouldn't have given anything to get you back."

Roy nodded shortly. "Thank you, officer." he said formally. "I appreciate the sentiment."

"Yeah chief…" Havoc said, lounging back in the nearest chair. "Good to have ya back…"

The others nodded in agreement around him, lounging in their own chairs. The young officer looked startled at the casual way they seemed to greet their commanding Colonel. Roy didn't seem fazed, however, leaving the officer at a loss for words.

"I-I have a few questions…" the officer said, finally pulling out a small clipboard from under his arm. "Just a few minutes, if you please. This is standard protocol for these kinds of situations and I-"

"You've had an officer come back from the dead before?" Roy asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

The young officer stuttered. "N-No, sir. The-The higher ups would like me to-"

"I'm sorry officer," came a cool voice at Roy's immediate right. "The Colonel has just been through an incredible, life-threatening experience and needs this time to recuperate with his closest officers. I'm afraid your questions will have to wait until later."

The officer gaped at her. "But, Lieutenant Hawkeye, the Führer-!"

"I will speak with the Führer personally," Riza said calmly, her gaze never wavering from the small man in front of them. "I'm sure he'll understand. He wouldn't want to put his best Colonel under such pressuring conditions just yet. It might cause Colonel Mustang to reconsider coming back to the force."

The officer's eyes grew wide and he stuffed the clipboard under his arm once again, saluting them both. "Yes, ma'am." he bowed shortly before turning back to Roy. "Good day, sir."

It was clear that the officer didn't want to be responsible for sending the Colonel out the door without another word, for he hurried from the room rather hastily. As the door closed behind him, the others burst into laughter.

"Did you see him?" Havoc asked, clapping a hand on his knee. "Poor guy nearly shit himself…"

"I wouldn't doubt it if he did!" Breda wiped a few tears from the corners of his eyes.

"Poor guy…" Fuery shook his head, though he continued to smirk. "So young. So gullible."

Havoc rose to his feet, moving to Roy's available side, gripping his shoulder tightly. "Really is good to have you back, chief. Don't know how we would have gone on. I mean, Lieutenant Hawkeye seemed to-"

"That's enough, Havoc…" Riza warned calmly.

"-well, she's no you, chief-" he continued, paying no attention to her warnings.

"Havoc…" she repeated, her voice a low growl.

"-a woman in a man's position, it just-" he cut off abruptly as the end of Riza's gun pointed at his forehead. She smirked at him grimly, her finger placed firmly over the trigger. "Actually, to be honest, I don't think we needed you, chief. Hawkeye kept us right on track the whole time. Who knows, she may be getting a promotion soon, and you'll be out of a-"

"That's enough, Havoc…" it was Roy's turn to speak, though he was laughing himself. "Lieutenant, lower your gun…"

Riza was hesitant, but finally replaced the weapon on her hip. Havoc returned to his seat while the other officers tried to subdue their laughter. They were a bit startled as Riza casually sat herself on the edge of Roy's desk, her hand lingering dangerously close to Roy's. Riza didn't dare move it any closer as she busied herself with a nearby file.

The officer's exchanged glances as the room finally fell silent. It was clear that they wanted to say something, but couldn't quite decide who would be the one to say it. In the end, it seemed as though Havoc was the only one who dared to raise his voice.

"Chief, there's…" he started slowly, glancing back at the others. "There's a few things that the rest of us were curious about…"

Unlike the questions that the unnamed officer was prepared to ask, Roy was more than open to the ones of those in front of him.

"You've been alive this whole time, right?" Breda finally asked. "I mean, you didn't actually _die _and then come back to life…right?"

Roy glanced at Riza who smirked, but shook her head. She knew that Roy would have given anything to mess with them, but she felt that now was not the time. They deserved to hear the truth.

"I dunno, Breda…" Roy answered slowly. "You figure that one out…"

Riza gave him a look, though he seemed to be ignoring her. Grinning, he prepared himself for the next question.

"There were rumors, sir…" Falman spoke up from behind Fuery's chair. "Rumors about the young woman whose voice was heard from inside the burning building. They said that no body was found, and yet every single officer heard the voice. Is it true that she was a Homunculus…?"

Roy frowned, his eyes focusing on something on his desk. It took him several long moments before finally answering.

"Yes…" he said grimly. "She was a Homunculus. And now she's dead. End of story."

"But, sir…" Breda interrupted. "Which one was she? Aren't there more than one?"

Roy nodded shortly. "Yes, but she, unfortunately, does not have a record. She was created during the War in Ishbal. A stupid officer and a promise he couldn't keep."

The others stared at him curiously. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Riza to keep her hand at a distance from his. She knew this was going to be difficult for him to explain.

"An officer?" Fuery piped up, shifting his glasses higher on his nose. "Do they have records of this officer? Doesn't he know how dangerous it is to perform such a taboo?"

"Yeah…" Roy said guiltily, heaving a sigh. "Yeah, he knows. And yes, they have records on him as well. Or, they will once their brought back…"

"Brought back from where?" Breda asked, seeming to be the only one still kept in the dark as the others bore signs of understanding.

"Why did you do it, sir?" Falman asked, his voice suddenly quiet, as though this were a topic they needed to talk about under the strictest of conditions. None of it could be heard by those passing by outside the door. "Why did you risk such an act of…of…"

Roy shook his head. "I'm not sure what I was thinking to be honest," he explained. "All I knew at that time was that the girl I had promised to protect was dead, and…I had to do anything I could to get her back."

The others nodded slowly. Breda was still a bit confused, but seemed to understand enough to get the picture.

"And that's why she called out 'Daddy'…" Havoc said slowly. "You were the closest thing to a Father that she had…"

"Mm…" Roy agreed. "I suppose that's why she called me that. At first I didn't seem to mind, but…that word…that word just seemed to eat away at me after a while…"

Riza finally covered his hand with hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. He made no sign of noticing her actions, but the corner of his lips turned up into a small smile.

"What did you give up, sir?" Falman asked, breaking the silence. "Equivalent exchange and all…didn't you have to give something up?"

Riza looked up at him, glancing back Roy only a moment later. She hadn't bothered to ask him that, but certainly that would have had to play a part in the whole ritual. What had he given up in order to create this creature? The Elric boys had to nearly give up themselves entirely in order to create whatever it was they managed to create, and yet here Roy sat, perfectly whole.

"That's what I'd like to know," a voice said from the doorway.

Those in the room looked up to see who had joined their company so quietly. Ed stood in the doorway, his eyes locked onto Roy as he stepped forward, closing the door behind him.

"Edward," Riza slipped off the desk. "You're looking better. How is Miss Rockbell?"

"She's fine," Ed answered off-handedly. "Still a little shook up, but she's going to be fine." He hadn't torn his gaze from the Colonel. "But that's not what we're discussing at the moment. What is it you gave up, Colonel?"

Roy didn't answer them, an even grimmer expression donning his face. It looked as though Roy had no intention whatsoever of ever revealing that to anyone. A dark cloud hovered above him as he ventured to speak.

"It was something far worse than the act of human transmutation itself…" Roy answered. "I should never have done what I did…" his voice dropped down even more. "Never should have used the matter that I did either…"

Riza had a disturbing thought, though she tried to knock it to the back of her mind. If he didn't use his own body, there would certainly be others around him. Especially the fresh two corpses he'd only disposed of shortly before Alice's death.

"No…" Roy said, catching the look on Riza's face. He seemed to be able to read her mind. "I would never, _never_ have used the Rockbells…"

Ed's eyes grew wide and a strange fire burned there. His feet must have grown roots, for it looked as though Ed would have given anything to strangle Roy on the spot.

"I couldn't even bring myself to go back there after…" Roy looked back down at the desk, shaking his head. The memories were breaking him and Riza could tell. "But…I did cheat…"

"You used another body…" Ed finished for him. "You gave up someone else, instead of using yourself! You vile-!"

"Edward, please!" Riza glared at him, urging for him to be silent. "You will not speak to a commanding officer in such a manner. Remember your place!"

"Riza, please…" Roy finally looked up, his hand taking her arm gently. "I deserve everything he has to throw at me."

There wasn't a single face in that room that didn't look absolutely startled at Roy's sudden moment of humility. He locked his gaze with Ed's and continued speaking slowly, retaining his usual arrogant air.

"That does not, however, give him permission to do so at any other time outside of here.," he warned. "As Lieutenant Hawkeye said, he needs to remember that he is only a Major."

Ed seethed, but kept his mouth shut tightly. Roy's hand did not move from Riza's arm as he kept her by his side, though it was hardly needed for she had no intention of moving.

"I did use another body…" he stared once again. "If I had sacrificed myself, the whole act would have been in vain. There was nobody but me left to protect her, and to bring her back without me being there would have only been setting her up for more pain and suffering." His voice was monotonous, as though he were explaining some great plan. "I had to use someone that would be strong enough, some matter that would tie enough to her to bring her back. My first thought was the Rockbells-" Ed started a bit, clenching his fists, but Roy pressed on, unfazed. "-but I squashed that idea rather quickly. My second thought was Alice's real Father, who had died not too long after I came into the picture. He was buried just behind their old house, not very deep, and lucky for me, mostly intact. It wasn't much for me to take the old man from his grave, drag him to the place where I'd drawn the transmutation circle and perform the rite."

"But it wasn't enough…" Riza spoke up, helping the story along. "His body wasn't enough…"

"A dead body for a dead body…" Roy shook his head. "It worked perfectly, Lieutenant. It was a perfect-"

"Equivalent exchange…" Ed finished for him. He no longer looked angry, but seemed to understand, though that didn't stop the raging fire that was burning deep inside him. He was still angry that Roy had sacrificed nothing of his own. He had lost his brother, as well as his arm and leg in order to bring their mother back. And what did they get? Nothing. He was glad that Roy's plan had backfired. He was glad that the bastard got nothing for being so greedy.

They couldn't cheat death. Not this way. Not yet. They all seemed to understand that now.

**A/N:** So here we are. One chapter to go. I am entirely thankful to all of you who have followed this so far, for without your support I probably wouldn't have ever finished this story. Thank you all so much.

Chapters left til the finale of _Midnight Conversations:_ 1.


	25. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER**I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any of the related titles!

**A/N:** Hey there folks! I apologize for making you wait so very very very long for this final chapter. As I've said for my other stories I've updated in the past couple of days, I've been dealing with the hectic-ness that surrounds applying for colleges, and juggling shows, school, work, and a new very important person in my love. -hearts- Hehe. So ANYWAY. Here is the last chapter of MIDNIGHT CONVERSATIONS. Thank you all for sticking with the story, and I love you all! Please enjoy!

**Chapter 25: Epilogue**

The smoke rose gently from the end of Havoc's burning cigarette. His eyes had not left the weary-looking Colonel sitting behind his desk, flipping absently through a few new reports he'd received from the Führer. Both he and the First Lieutenant had remained silent for the time being, wondering how long it would take Roy to ditch his work, lean back in his chair, and save it for later.

But lean back, he did not. Instead, he picked up the nearest pen and began writing feverishly. Havoc was not the only one surprised by these actions, for Riza stepped forward almost immediately, her eyes wide with shock.

"Sir-"

"Settle down, chief..." Havoc said calmly, not removing the cigarette from his mouth as he spoke. "You're going to burn a hole through the paper, and this time without the help of your gloves."

Roy lifted a hand to show that he wasn't wearing his gloves, still writing with the other. Havoc shook his head. He hadn't meant it literally, he was merely trying to make a point.

"He's right, sir..." Riza spoke up, standing in front of his desk. "You're tired and stressed. You're not up for this right now. I think it's best you leave it. The Führer will understand."

Roy shook his head, as though he was ignoring her, though both knew it was impossible for him to do so. "It would not make a good impression on the others if I were to return to work seeking sympathy, Lieutenant..." he answered, his eyes still locked on the paper in front of him. "I think it's best I return to my work as if I had been here all along."

"If you had been here all along," Havoc said, rising to his feet. "These papers would not need to be done, for Lieutenant Hawkeye would have already finished them, and you would be out on some new exploratory mission that involved some innocent young woman in a flower shop..." His eyes had flashed accusingly in memory of his own dear Grace, who had fallen victim to the irresistible charms of Roy Mustang.

Roy glanced up at him halfheartedly for less than a second before glancing over to his First Lieutenant and then back at the paper. His hand had twitched for a moment, as though he was annoyed with his company, and the though of procrastination was eating at the back of his mind.

"Is it the kid?" Havoc asked, pulling his cigarette away for a moment to exhale a long breath of smoke that seemed to linger in the air around them.

Riza waved a hand at the smoke, answering before the Colonel could. "Why would Edward have anything to do with the Colonel wanting to do his work?" She paused for a moment, her eyes falling onto Roy. "It is a bit odd actually. Good point, Havoc. Does this have anything to do with Edward, sir?"

Roy gripped his pen. "_Why_ would this have anything to do with _him_?"

Havoc shrugged, sitting on the edge of Roy's desk. "I know he came to speak with you alone recently. Didn't know if he said something that got to you..."

"Got to me?" Roy looked up at him. "How the _hell_ would he get to me?"

"Well, it certainly seems like he's getting to you-" Havoc continued, a small smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Lieutenant," Riza spoke up, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I think it's best you leave the Colonel to his work for now..."

"No, no..." Roy rose to his feet, his eyes not leaving Havoc. "He can stay. Do you honestly think that I can't handle the kid, Havoc? Do you really think he'd be able to say anything to me that would have that kind of affect on-"

"With all due respect, Colonel, I believe that Lieutenant Havoc should be excused. You have a lot of work to do and I think it would be best if-"

Before Havoc could turn to leave, Roy raised a hand, as well as his voice. "I have not ordered for him to leave, yet. I want him to-"

"But I am ordering him to do so," Riza stared at him angrily. "You have work to do and I will not stand around listening to the two of you bickering."

Roy opened his mouth to speak. In any other situation, a First Lieutenant would not have been allowed to speak to their Colonel in such a manner, however, after all Riza had done for him, Roy could not say "No" to her. Sighing deeply, he looked down at his papers, shuffling them, clearly quite irritated.

"You're dismissed, Havoc..." Roy said quietly, a tone of bitterness in his voice made it quite clear that their conversation was not over.

He nodded shortly and turned away, leaving his usual trail of smoke behind him. Riza was not worried about Havoc, for she was certain he understood the position she was coming from. When the door had closed behind him, Roy finally spoke up.

"I wish you wouldn't embarrass me in front of my officers in such a way, Lieutenant."

"You were doing a good job of it yourself, sir..." she replied sternly. "You were acting like a child. Havoc was merely asking you a question..."

"It was out of line..." Roy said shortly.

"Out of line to be concerned?" Riza asked, moving closer to him.

Roy didn't speak, finally flopping back down in his seat. As he lifted his pen, Riza reached her hand out to press it firmly upon the pile of papers before him.

"I think you need a break, sir..." she said softly.

Roy looked up, sighing again. "I think you're right, Lieutenant..."

Without another word, he rose to his feet and crossed the room to a small bookshelf. Riza watched him curiously, waiting for him to speak before she had to. When it was clear he wasn't going to say anything, she finally spoke up.

"What is it Edward wanted with you?" she asked.

Roy froze, the book in his hands shaking slightly. "It was nothing..."

Riza raised an eyebrow, not believing him. "Sir..."

"What's with this 'Sir' business again?" Roy asked, snapping the book shut and turning to face her. "I thought I told you to call me 'Roy'?"

Riza shrugged, moving toward his chair, her hands sliding along the files stacked on his desk. "I thought I told you to quit calling me 'Lieutenant'," she replied coolly.

The two stood in silence for what seemed like ages, their eyes focused solely on the other's as though they were in some heated staring contest. Roy was the first to crack as he tossed the book aside and moved swiftly to her side, taking her face in his hands and kissing her deeply.

Riza gasped lightly as Roy lifted her off the ground to sit her atop the desk in front of them. Several files went flying, scattering across the floor. Riza pulled away quickly, looking at them concernedly.

"Roy-!" she breathed. "Roy, we should-the files-!"

Roy didn't seem to be paying attention, his focus solely on her neck, and the front of her uniform which he seemed to be undoing with remarkable skill. "Ignore them," he whispered, sucking lightly on the bared skin. "I'll get it later..."

"But, Roy-" Riza protested, her eyes locked on the door she knew for certain was unlocked.

"Riza, please-" He was starting to get a bit annoyed with her worries. How could she be thinking about a bunch of papers at a time like this?!

There was a small 'click' and Roy found himself facing the barrel of a small pistol. Riza's gaze had tore away from the door and was now once again locked onto Roy's, a familiar dangerous flame burning beneath the soft golden hues.

"If you're not up for work, sir..." she said, a small smirk appearing across her lips. "Then you certainly aren't up for this. Perhaps you should finish your work first. It's a bit less strenuous..."

"Now why would I do something like that?" Roy asked, leaning in once again to try and capture her lips in his own, only to have the end of the gun pressed further into his shoulder.

"_Sir_," she said more insistently. "I _really_ think you should finish your work first. What if someone were to come in and find you...slacking off?" she added the last bit, finding it impossible to find a better was to describe it.

It had finally been brought to Roy's attention that Havoc had only just left through the office door, and that it had been left quite unlocked, and if they had continued their little rendezvous, it was very possible that another officer could have made their way in.

Even Edward!

Shaking his head, Roy pulled away, suddenly feeling his animosity subside. Riza couldn't help but laugh as he hurriedly began to pick up the discarded files, very much resembling a puppy who'd done something wrong. Still chuckling to herself, she knelt down beside him to help clean up the mess, closing her hand over the small pile in his hands.

"And once your work is finished," she added quietly. "I'm certain I could have a small reward for you..."

Roy eyed the pistol, now sitting upon her hip once again, nervously. She smirked and shook her head.

"I won't interrupt you this time," she reassured him. "I promise..."

Roy didn't look entirely convinced, but he certainly couldn't lie and say that the sound of a 'reward', especially one from Riza herself, didn't sound appealing to him. Hurrying to his feet, he pulled the files from Riza's hands and settled himself behind his desk once more. She watched for a few minutes as his pen continued to fly across the paper, a scribbled form of "Cl. Roy Mustang" appearing in all the correct spots, whether it was legible or not.

He hadn't quite made it through all the files when another officer had knocked on the door, requesting entrance. Riza, who had made herself comfortable by the bookshelf, looked up.

"Come in..." Roy was much too busy to answer for himself.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Colonel Mustang," a young man said, looking a bit nervous to be standing before the Flame Alchemist himself. "And you, Lieutenant Hawkeye," he nodded toward Riza who returned the gesture. "But the Führer would like to know if you'd be willing to attend a banquet this evening in honor of your return..."

Roy looked up at the officer, an odd expression crossing his face. "If it's a banquet in my honor, I'd assume it'd be required of me to attend, wouldn't it?"

"Well, yes...one would _assume_," the officer seemed to be fighting for the right words. "But he asked me...wasn't sure if you had...plans...or if you'd be up for it, after all, you've been...well...you know..."

Roy held up a hand to stop the poor officer before he had a heart attack. "It's fine, officer, alert the Führer that I'll be up for it. And thank him, for inviting me..." he couldn't help but smirk a little at the irony of that statement.

"But sir, don't you feel as though you should-" the officer piped up.

"I'm fine," Roy insisted. He was a bit tired of everyone insisting that he was in some terrible condition. He'd just spent a good month or so living with Riza, he wasn't exactly complaining.

The officer still looked concerned, but turned his gaze toward Riza. "You're also invited Ms. Hawkeye, the Führer would love to have you join them."

Riza nodded politely, trying her best to keep a straight face. She would have attended whether she was invited or not. Roy was not to leave her sight. Everyone knew that. Especially now. "Thank you..." she answered quickly.

The officer nodded, and turned to leave before snapping himself back into position, his hand held in salute as he stared at Roy. It was quite clear that this was a new officer and it made Roy laugh even more.

"At ease, soldier..." he chuckled. "You're excused."

When the door had closed behind him, Roy burst into uncontrollable laughter, while Riza continued to smile politely. She had met the officer before, and learned that the young boy had considered Roy quite the idol. It was natural that he'd be nervous in the Colonel's presence.

"Poor kid," Riza said, glancing at the shut door. "I think you scared him, dear..."

"Did I?" Roy asked, still laughing. "Is that the kind of soldier the military's been recruiting since I've been gone? I should've known something was up when they wanted Ed..."

Riza shook her head, trying to hide the large smile that had finally broken through. Roy was officially back to his normal self and she couldn't figure out how she'd gone all the time she had without him in the office, even if he'd been waiting for her at home.

"Ah, well..." Roy cleared his throat, looking back down at the last of the files. "Shame the banquet had to be tonight, really. I was planning on moving what was left of my things back to my apartment. Should be getting it back now, I think someone said they were working on it-"

"You're...You're moving back?" Riza asked, looking up. The smile had suddenly disappeared from her face.

Roy glanced up at her, the laughter dying from his face as well. "That...was the plan," he said slowly. "Why...did you..." he cleared his throat again. "Did you...uh..."

"Well..." Riza avoided his gaze. "I didn't think they'd get it back so quickly. I figured you'd be around for a little while longer..."

"Do you..." Roy started hesitantly. "Do you..._want_ me to stay?"

"Well," Riza cursed her face for growing hot. She couldn't let her emotions take hold of her like this. "If you _wanted_ to...I mean, you don't _have_ to if you don't want-"

"Of course I don't _want_ to leave!" he answered hastily, catching himself as Riza's head whipped around to face him. "I mean, well...I'm sure they'll need more time to get all my things back...and there might be some papers I have to sign for the apartment and...stuff..."

Riza was certain she had never seen Roy Mustang so silent in her life. Smiling faintly, she moved over to where he was trying to busy himself with the papers, still muttering absently to himself. Her hand stroked the side of his face, catching his attention, as well as his gaze.

"Stay as long as you wish..." she told him, the flame in her eyes changing just a bit to create a soft glow.

"Forever?" he looked like a hopeful child on Christmas.

Riza smiled, kissing him tenderly. "Well, maybe not forever..."

His arms locked around her waist, holding her greedily. "Forever?" he repeated, kissing her a bit longer than the first time.

Riza laughed and shook her head. "Do you think I'd be able to stand you forever?"

Roy nodded, nuzzling the side of her neck, trailing a line of kisses along her jaw line, finally reaching her mouth once more. Before she could possibly retort again, he kissed her deeper, bending her backward a little as though to get his point across.

Finally pulling away, he smiled at her as she caught her breath. Smiling back, she patted his chest a couple times and leaned in toward his ear, her voice still quite breathy from his intense display of affection. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice so very close to him.

"You'd better hurry up and finish those papers, sir..."

**A/N:** And thus a conclusion. Thank you all once more, you've been incredibly faithful readers/reviews and I couldn't possibly be more grateful for that. I really hope that you'll all keep your eyes peeled for updates on my other stories and future stories that I'll be posting.

Thank You and Much Love,

M.C.E.Black


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